FOREST, Va. – The Old Dominion Athletic Conference announced its 2023 Men's Soccer all-conference teams and award winners on Thursday, and Washington and Lee junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe was lauded as the Offensive Player of the Year to highlight the Generals' selections.
Agbeyegbe was also slotted on the All-ODAC First Team, along with senior
Grant McCarty, junior
PJ Ryan and sophomore
Will Joseph. Sophomores
Matteo Adler and
Willy Hall both made the second team and junior
Will Luik rounded out the seven W&L honorees with a third team nod.
Earning his third straight All-ODAC citation and second consecutive first team honor, Agbeyegbe is having another strong season for the W&L offense with a conference-high 28 points on 11 goals and six assists. His 11 goals are tied for the ODAC lead, while his six helpers are tied for fifth in the league. Agbeyegbe's top performances this season include a hat trick in a 3-0 win at Averett (10/1) and a five-point outing (2g, 1a) in a 4-0 win over Lynchburg (10/25) to close out the regular season.
Agbeyegbe being named the ODAC's Offensive Player of the Year makes it back-to-back seasons that W&L has brought home the conference's top offensive honor (
Michael Kutsanzira '23). It is also Agbeyegbe's second major conference award in his three seasons after he was named the Rookie of the Year for the 2021 season.
McCarty makes his first appearance on an All-ODAC team with the second-most goals (7), assists (2) and points (16) on the team. McCarty has played in all 20 games this season, and he has been surging in the second half of the schedule, with all of his points coming since a 2-1 win over Shenandoah on September 23. McCarty is one of three players on the team this season to have scored a hat trick, and he has logged at least one point in six contests.
After making the All-ODAC Third Team in both of his first two seasons, Ryan elevated his defensive play this season to first-team status. With Ryan's help, the Generals have posted eight shutouts this season, while allowing opponents fewer than four shots on goal per game. Ryan has also made his presence felt on the offensive end, particularly on set pieces, with eight points on four goals. All four goals have come in four W&L wins, with three of his scores equalizing games to help the Blue and White to comeback victories.
The All-ODAC Second Team goalkeeper as a first-year, Joseph bolstered his play in his second season to claim first team honors. Starting all 20 games so far this season, Joseph holds a 1.04 goals-against average across 1,731:59 in goal, with six shutouts to his credit and a 0.730 save percentage. Joseph has recorded at least six saves on three occasions this season, with an additional five stops in a shutout effort against current national No. 9 Emory.
Adler nets his first All-ODAC citation of his career with 11 points on three goals and five assists so far this season. His five assists are currently tied for fourth on the team and tied for ninth in the ODAC, and he has recorded at least one point in eight games in 2023. He scored the third and final team goal in a 3-2 win over Brevard on September 17 and assisted on the team's only goal in a 1-0 win in the following game at Virginia Wesleyan.
Hall also collects his first all-conference award, a second team nod, having played in all but one game this season on the backline. Hall has helped the Generals post a combined 1.05 goals-against average this season, while adding one assist on the offensive end. That helper came in the team's 6-0 win over Averett in the ODAC Quarterfinals on October 28, as W&L outscored the Cougars 9-0 in two games this season.
Luik completes the 2023 All-ODAC Generals as another player to claim his first career all-conference honor. Luik has been another key component and consistent contributor on the W&L defensive unit, playing all 20 games with 19 starts this season. He also added three points on offense with one goal and one assist, both of which came in the 3-2 Brevard win in September.
The Generals not only earned an at-large bid into the 2023 NCAA Championship, but they will also host a four-team pod during the opening weekend of the tournament. W&L will face-off against Western Connecticut State in the first round on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
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.
