LEXINGTON, Va. – Senior
Evan DiPaula and junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe both scored to power the Washington and Lee men's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Western Connecticut State in the first round of the NCAA Championship on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The W&L (13-4-4) offense got off to a slow start, with just one shot across the first 24 minutes of play to three from the Wolves (15-5-3), but the team broke through in the 25th minute when they were awarded a penalty kick. DiPaula took the kick and confidently scored to the right side of the goal for the 1-0 lead.
The Generals were outshot in the first half, 5-4, but turned up the intensity in the second half, highlighted by a nearly 10-minute span that saw numerous W&L shots (6) and corner kicks (6).
The game remained at the 1-0 score, however, until the 79th minute when a WestConn turnover at midfield gave W&L a prime scoring chance. First-year
Matthew Jenkins switched the ball from the right side to the left to a wide-open
Dmitri Tulloch streaking up the left side. Tulloch dribbled in and found Agbeyegbe in the middle of the field, who needed just a flick from his right foot to get his shot past WCSU keeper Zachary Benson to double the lead.
WestConn's Nikolas Chevres tried to answer for WCSU just 23 seconds following the W&L goal, but sophomore keeper
Will Joseph was there for the stop. The Wolves then drew two red cards in a span of 48 seconds in the 84th minute, one on Benson, who was replaced a minute prior, plus Enzo LaGrassa-Gillet, which forced the Wolves to play down a man for the final 6:06. With the one-man advantage, the Generals did not allow another shot for the remainder of the game to seal the win.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Agbeyegbe's goal in the 79th minute was his 12th this season and DiPaula netted his second of the year. DiPaula also led the Blue and White offense with five shot attempts, while Tulloch notched his fourth assist this season. Joseph made four saves to record the clean sheet, with two stops in each half.
Chevres led the WestConn offense with three total shots on the day, with two finding the target. Kent Eannarino and Kadin Talho both finished with two shots and one on goal, while Benson made three saves across 82:23 of game time.
NOTEWORTHY STATS:
The Generals improve to 12-7-3 all-time in NCAA Tournament games, and they remain undefeated in the first round after Saturday's result. They hold an all-time record of 7-0-2 in first-round contests, and they have advanced past the first round in eight of nine NCAA appearances.
Joseph's seventh shutout of the season was also the 13th of his career, which moves him into sole possession of seventh place on the program's all-time list. Seven clean sheets in one season are also tied for the sixth most in a season in program history.
Agbeyegbe's goal moved him up a couple of program statistical leaderboards as well. He broke a tie with former teammate
Samuel Bass '23 for career points (84) and tied David Knight '62 for the seventh-most goals in program history (33). Dating back to last season, Agbeyegbe has now scored in four consecutive NCAA Tournament games.
TEAM STATS:
W&L finished the game with a 14-10 advantage in total shots after a 10-5 margin in the second half. The Blue and White kept the pressure on the Wolves throughout the second half with eight corner kicks to finish with 11 total.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will meet SUNY Oneonta on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Championship. Kick-off is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Watt Field.
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.
