LEXINGTON, Va. – Three sophomores got on the scoresheet, two with goals, to lead the Washington and Lee men's soccer team to a 2-0 home win over Randolph-Macon on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals' (7-2-3, 5-1-0 ODAC) first goal came in the 38th minute on a throw-in taken by sophomore
Buster Couhig. Deep in RMC (3-6-2, 0-3-2 ODAC) territory, Couhig launched a throw into the box, where sophomore
Alec Perez lunged forward and headed the ball into the goal for the 1-0 lead.
Just 11 minutes later and under four minutes into the second half, senior
Grant McCarty disrupted a Jackets' possession near midfield and sent a long pass on the ground and up the left side for sophomore
Matteo Adler. Adler gathered the ball and battled off an RMC defender, before he curled a right-footed shot around the keeper and into the right side-netting of the goal.
The Yellow Jackets were outmatched on Saturday as the Generals continuously pressured the defense and Adam Braithwaite in goal. Randolph-Macon managed three shot attempts in the second half, all coming after Adler's goal. Two of the attempts missed the target and a Miles Longo shot in the 88th minute was blocked away.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Perez tallied his first goal of the season, with Couhig collecting his team-high tying third assist of the year. Adler's goal in the 49th minute was his second and McCarty picked up his second helper of the campaign. Junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe led the offense with five shot attempts, two of which were on goal, followed by McCarty with three. In total, 12 different Generals recorded a shot and nine of them attempted multiple times.
W&L sophomore goalkeeper
Will Joseph was required to make just one save to earn his fifth clean sheet of the season. Joseph also made several plays on the ball inside and outside the goal box to prevent extra RMC chances. The W&L defensive unit performed strongly as well, allowing just five shots.
Five Randolph-Macon players shot one time each to total the team's five attempts, with Trevor Moyer being the only player to find the target. Braithwaite did all he could to keep the Jackets in the game, making eight saves across the 90 minutes of play.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Since their 3-3 draw against Otterbein in Charleston, W.Va., the Generals have won six of their last seven games, with a 5-1 record in ODAC play, and they have outscored their opponents 15-7 in that stretch.
Joseph's shutout marked the 11th of his career, which ties him with Kirk Mancer '83 and Kevin Carney '81 for ninth on the program's career shutouts list. His next shutout would place him in a three-way tie for seventh place with Jack Pringle '90 and Chris Gareis '88.
TEAM STATS:
The Generals finished the day with a 25-5 advantage in total shots, which was helped by a count of 17-3 in the second half. The Blue and White limited RMC to one corner kick in both halves, while taking 13 of their own across the 90 minutes of play.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to action on Wednesday when they host Guilford in a 7:00 pm ODAC face-off.
Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.
