LEXINGTON, Va. – First-year
Nick Apostolou scored the game-winning goal with just under nine seconds remaining in regulation, as the Washington and Lee men's soccer team capped off a dramatic comeback win over Shenandoah on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Generals (4-1-3, 2-0-0 ODAC) trailed for a majority of the game after allowing a 19th-minute goal to the Hornets (3-2-2, 0-1-1 ODAC), but put together much stronger offensive chances throughout the second half. With the score still favoring the road side, 1-0, and with 1:05 left to play, junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe sent a cross in on a corner kick from the near side that found the head of a leaping
PJ Ryan for the equalizer.
Not being content with a draw, the Generals pressed on at the restart of play looking for the winner. W&L managed to gain possession after the Shenandoah kick-off and looked for holes in the SU defense. Sophomore
Matteo Adler got the first look with just under 20 seconds left, but his attempt was blocked out of the goal box. Junior
Lucas Pleasants collected and flicked the ball back into the box on the right side for sophomore
Buster Couhig, who sent a cross to the far post. Agbeyegbe was there and headed the ball back into an empty space in the box, where Apostolou raced in and blasted a one-timer with his left foot past the keeper.
The Hornets scored the initial go-ahead goal in the 19th minute, courtesy of sharp passing from just outside the box. Chinedu Ikem scored on the back post after Connor Robles left a pass off to Kyle Welch, who find Ikem for the score.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Apostolou's winner with 8.6 seconds remaining was his first collegiate goal, and he re-entered the game as a substitute with about five and a half minutes left in regulation. Agbeyegbe was credited with assists on both W&L goals, his first helpers this year, while Couhig added an assist as well on the Apostolou goal. Agbeyegbe also tallied a game-high five shots with one on goal.
Ikem scored on one of his two shots in the game, while Welch and Robles were credited with assists on the play. Nathan Yared led the team with four shot attempts, but none found the target.
In goal, W&L sophomore
Will Joseph came up with one save across the 90 minutes, but the W&L defense allowed just one Shenandoah shot across the entire second half. Travis Jett received the loss in goal for the Hornets, but made five saves.
NOTES OF IMPORTANCE:
The Generals have now won three games in a row and are unbeaten over their last seven (4-0-3), after dropping the season opener. The team is maintaining a 1.00 goals-against average across their eight games, with three shutouts.
With the win, W&L improves to 13-2-2 all-time against the Hornets, with the most recent draw coming in 2010 and the last loss coming back in 1990.
TEAM STATS:
The Generals dominated possession in the second half of the contest. After being outshot, 10-8, in the first half, W&L held a 16-1 shot margin in the second half. The Blue and White also earned seven corner kicks throughout the day to four for the Hornets.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to action on Wednesday when they host Roanoke in a rematch of the 2022 ODAC Championship game. Opening kick-off is slated for 7:30 p.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.
