VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – First-year
Taha Kaba scored the lone goal on the night in the 74th minute to propel the Washington and Lee men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Virginia Wesleyan on Wednesday in the teams' first ODAC action of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals' (3-1-3, 1-0-0 ODAC) defense showed poise throughout the entire contest to keep the Marlins (6-1, 0-1 ODAC) off the board, as the home side peppered the W&L goal with shots throughout the game.
With the game still scoreless in the 74th minute, the W&L defense managed to settle with possession, as junior
Asa Tuke sent a pass up the left side for sophomore
Matteo Adler. Adler raced up-field to the ball and fought off a defender as he cut towards the middle of the field and into the goal box. As he approached the six-yard box, Adler spotted Kaba to his right and laid a pass out to Kaba's right foot, and the first-year fired on his first touch past the keeper and into the top of the frame.
The Marlins saw their share of scoring opportunities on the night, but W&L sophomore keeper
Will Joseph was in his best form, stopping every shot on goal and preventing numerous other chances by intercepting and punching away crosses into the box.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Joseph finished the night with seven saves, five of which came in the second half, to tie his season high which came in the season opener against Oglethorpe. The clean sheet was Joseph's third this season and ninth of his career. Kaba's winner in the 74th minute was the second of his rookie season, while Adler collected his second assist of the year on the play.
The Marlins' attack was led by Juan Tovar and JaMarhe Willis, who both finished with three shots and one on goal for the game. In total, 10 different VWU players took a shot in the game, six of whom attempted multiple times. Jordan Smith took the loss between the posts, but came up with four saves across the 90 minutes of play.
NOTES OF IMPORTANCE:
With their win, the Generals continued their strong play against the Marlins, picking up their 10th win in the last 12 meetings (10-1-1). Among matchups in Virginia Beach, W&L claims their first shutout win in the series since October 8, 2011, while improving to 4-1-0 across the last five contests in enemy territory.
A win in the ODAC opener for the Blue and White makes it eight consecutive fall seasons that the Generals have opened 1-0 in conference play.
TEAM STATS:
The Marlins finished the game with an 18-6 advantage in total shots, however, their plus-margin in shots on goal was only 7-5. The home side also earned more corner kicks by a 7-4 count, as all of W&L's came in the first half and all of the Marlins' came in the second half.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will play in just their second home game of the season in their next action, a 1:00 p.m. opening kick-off on Saturday against Shenandoah.
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
