LEXINGTON, Va. – Senior forward
Weyimi Agbeyegbe continued his torrid pace on Saturday, netting all three goals in the Washington and Lee men's soccer team's 3-0 win over Ferrum.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Agbeyegbe first got the Generals (8-3-1, 4-0-1 ODAC) on the board in the 29th minute. With the ball back in the W&L defensive third, junior
Willy Hall sent the ball high into the air and up the field. Agbeyegbe got under the ball, used his body to shield off a defender after the first bounce, used one touch to get around the keeper and slotted the ball home for the 1-0 lead.
The Generals' second goal came in the 50th minute when they were awarded a free kick on the left side in the attacking third. Agbeyegbe stood over the ball and curled a shot towards the back post. With the ball on its way inside the back post, the ball got one final boost beyond the goal line off the top of a Ferrum defender's head, as the Generals took a 2-0 lead.
Just two minutes later, W&L was attacking yet again, with sophomore
Taha Kaba on the ball on the left side of the box. Kaba worked his way back towards the 18, surveying his options before he found Agbeyegbe in the middle of the box. After taking a controlling touch, Agbeyegbe scored to the same spot as his second goal to complete the hat trick.
The W&L defense remained sharp all game, as well, as the backline allowed four shots in the first half and just three in the second half. Though the Panthers put four shots on goal, junior goalkeeper
Will Joseph made each stop with ease.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Agbeyegbe's three scores put his season total at 10 and his point total for the campaign at 25. Hall was credited with his second assist of the season, while Kaba's helper to Agbeyegbe in the 52nd minute marked the second straight game he assisted his senior teammate. Joseph played all 90 minutes in goal and made four saves to claim the clean sheet.
Payton Rausch was the only Panther to get off multiple shot attempts in the game, as he finished the day with four and two attempts on goal. Michael Arzillo played all 90 minutes in the Ferrum goal and made six saves.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
With three goals in the game for six points, Agbeyegbe moved into second place on the program's all-time points list (111), passing Jamie Parker '00. Only Sam Chase has more career points for the program at 117. Additionally, Agbeyegbe now has 44 goals in his career, third most in program history and seven away from tying Parker for second.
The 2024 season marks the third consecutive campaign that Agbeyegbe has cracked into double digits for goals scored. He is the first player to accomplish that feat since Zach Colby '15 did so from 2012-14, also across his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
Joseph's shutout on Saturday was the 20th of his career. He becomes just the second player in program history to produce 20 or more clean sheets, and he needs five more to break Michael Nyc's '22 program record.
TEAM STATS:
W&L finished the game with a 24-7 advantage in total shots, including a 14-3 margin in the second half. The Blue and White also took seven corner kicks, five in the second half, and conceded two.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will get back on the pitch on Wednesday when they travel to Shenandoah for a 7:00 p.m. start.
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.
