CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Junior
Lucas Pleasants had a hand in all three goals for the 11th-ranked Washington and Lee men's soccer team on Sunday, as the Generals finished in a 3-3 tie against Otterbein in a nonconference contest with a heart-pounding second half.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game remained scoreless through more than 55 minutes of play before both teams' offenses got rolling. The Generals (1-1-3) scored the first two goals in a span of just 61 seconds in the 56th and 57th minutes, the first of which came on a corner kick taken by Pleasants and found the head of first-year
Matthew Jenkins in the middle of the box.
Pleasants and Jenkins were also involved on the next goal. The Otterbein defense tried to clear a pass into the box, but instead popped the ball up around the 18. Pleasants headed the ball down to his right where Jenkins pushed the ball to sophomore
Buster Couhig on the right side. Couhig then made a quick move to create space to his left before firing a left-footed shot into the back of the net.
The Cardinals were quick to respond, however, with a pair of scores of their own in the 60th and 63rd minutes. Nick Isaac put the team on the board with a hard, left-footed attempt from outside, before Will Isaac finessed a looping ball over the reach of W&L keeper
Will Joseph.
The game swung back in the Generals' favor in the 75th minute, this time with Pleasants getting the score. Junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe dribbled into the box on the left side and sent a pass across on the ground where the ball was cleared out. Settling under the ball from 30 yards out, Pleasants trapped the ball with his chest and blasted a one-timed shot with leftward curve into the top-left corner of the frame.
Otterbein managed to salvage a draw, however, as Jayden Lunsford scored the game's sixth and final goal in the 84th minute off a feed from Mark Wischmeyer.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Pleasants' four points led the way on offense for the Blue and White, marking his first points of the season and a single-game career-best total. It also went down as Pleasants' first performance in which he accounted for multiple goals in one game. Jenkins finished the day with three points on his goal and assist, the first of each for him this season, while Couhig collected his first goal of the season and second of his career.
Lunsford topped the Cardinals' efforts with three points (one goal, one assist) on two shots, while Will Isaac led all players with six shots.
In goal, both Joseph and Casey Thompson played all 90 minutes. Joseph stopped two shots for the Generals, while Thompson finished with four saves for the Cardinals.
NOTES OF IMPORTANCE:
Despite drawing for the third time in five games to start the season, the Generals now have five consecutive seasons with one or fewer losses across their first five contests.
TEAM STATS:
W&L finished the day with a slight 14-13 advantage in total shots, with seven attempts on goal to five for the Cardinals. Both teams were about even in corner kicks as well, with Otterbein holding the slight final lead at 8-7.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will have six days off before their next game, as they travel to Brevard on September 17 for a 3:30 p.m. opening kick 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.
