LEXINGTON, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's soccer team was defeated by a 3-1 score by Lynchburg in the championship game of the ODAC Tournament on Sunday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Hornets (15-3-2) opened the scoring in the 19th minute when Manzi Shalita sent a cross from the left side and into the box, where it was volleyed into the back of the net by Zach Whelan.
W&L (12-4-4) trailed by one at the half, but began to find a flow on offense, which carried into the second half. In the 62nd minute, the Generals turned defense into offense when an intercepted Lynchburg pass by first-year
Brad Dulin was sent upfield to junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe. Agbeyegbe navigated through the Lynchburg defense on a long run towards goal before finding sophomore
Buster Couhig in the middle of the box. Couhig then equalized with his left foot.
Lynchburg moved the ball quickly upfield for its second goal in the 76th minute, as a goal kick found Shalita in the attacking half. Shalita managed to find space in the W&L defense for a left-footed shot from just outside the box, which found its way inside the left post for the go-ahead score.
The Hornets tacked on an insurance goal in the 82nd minute, as Liam Lovell found Whelan for his second score from inside the box on a cross from the right side.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Couhig's goal for the Blue and White was his third this season, while Agbeyegbe's assist on the play was his sixth this year. Couhig and senior
Grant McCarty took a team-high two shots each and combined for three on goal. Sophomore
Will Joseph played all 90 minutes in goal and made four saves.
Whelan's two goals led the Hornets' offense, while Lovell and Shalita each picked up one assist. Shalita's goal came on his only shot attempt in the game, while Whelan led the way with three shots and two on goal. Lynchburg keeper Thomas Viscuso made three saves across the 90 minutes of play.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
Following the conclusion of the game, McCarty, Agbeyegbe and sophomore
Willy Hall were each named to the ODAC Men's Soccer All-Tournament team for W&L. Shalita, Whelan, Benji Velasquez and Carter Averette represented the Hornets on the All-Tournament team.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Agbeyegbe moved up the program's career assists and points leaderboards with his helper on Sunday. He moved into a tie for sixth in assists (18) with Jon Wilson '01, and matched former teammate
Samuel Bass '23 for sixth in career points (82).
TEAM STATS:
Both teams took four shots in the first half before the Hornets held the shot margin, 5-3, in the second half for a final edge of 9-7. The Blue and White earned five corner kicks on the day to four for the road side.
UP NEXT:
Entering the day ranked fourth in Region VI, the Generals look to claim an at-large bid into the 2023 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. The selection show is slated for Monday at 2:00 p.m. on
ncaa.com.
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.
