LEXINGTON, Va. – In a highly anticipated and fierce rematch of the 2022 ODAC Championship game, the Washington and Lee men's soccer team was topped, 3-2, by Roanoke after an 89th-minute goal on Wednesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
With the game having been knotted at two goals apiece since the 61st minute, the Maroons (3-5-1, 1-2-0 ODAC) finally managed to break the tie with just 1:45 remaining on the clock. With the ball close to the right touch line, Kyle Butcher saved the ball from going out with a flick up field to Florin Wyss. Wyss made a run up the field and crossed to the back post where Girom Affolter finished the play with a sliding goal.
The Maroons tied the game at two goals per side in the 61st minute when Slate Danforth scored off a feed from Affolter. Roanoke's first goal was also the first goal of the game, an early strike as Michael Ramsey found the back of the net following a lob into the box by Jonathan Marklund and a header on to Ramsey from Alex Lopacinski in the third minute.
The Generals (4-2-3, 2-1-0 ODAC) were unfazed by the early deficit, as just 71 seconds later, junior
Lucas Pleasants tied things up on a free kick. Pleasants sent a ball into the box from the right side that made its way untouched through a crowd of Maroons and Generals and inside the left post.
In the 18th minute, W&L assumed a 2-1 lead when senior
Grant McCarty took a shot from the right side, that saw the ball hit off the left post and ricochet across the goal and against the inside of the right netting. In the second half, the Generals looked to grow their lead to two goals when they were awarded a penalty kick in the 49th minute after RC keeper, Luca Gustafson, fouled junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe in the box. Gustafson rebounded, however, and stopped the W&L shot with a diving save in the low-left corner of the frame.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Pleasants and McCarty both finished with one goal on one shot on the night. Pleasants' score was his second of the season, while McCarty logged his first, and sophomore
Buster Couhig earned his second assist of the campaign on the McCarty goal. Agbeyegbe led the W&L offense in shooting, with three attempts and two on target.
Affolter tallied three total points for the Maroons on a goal and an assist, while taking two shots in the game. Ramsey matched Affolter's goal on two attempts, while Danforth's goal came on three total shots and two on goal.
Between the posts, both starting keepers played all 90 minutes. Gustafson made four saves to earn the win, while W&L sophomore
Will Joseph stopped one shot.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals saw a lengthy unbeaten streak come to an end on Wednesday night. The Blue and White had gone undefeated across their last 26 home regular season ODAC games (22-0-4), with this being the first such loss since Roanoke downed the Generals, 1-0, on October 7, 2017. It is just the fourth home loss in total for the Generals since the beginning of the 2018 season (46-4-4).
TEAM STATS:
Both defenses closed off shooting space for the opposing offensive units, with Roanoke coming away with the final edge, 10-8. This included an even 4-4 split in the first half and a 6-4 RC margin in the second. Five total corner kicks were taken in the game, four by the home side.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will be back in action on Sunday when they travel to Averett for a 1:00 p.m. opening kick.
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.
