LYNCHBURG, Va. – The No. 20 Washington and Lee men's soccer team posted its second consecutive draw on Saturday in a 1-1 final on Shellenberger Field at the University of Lynchburg.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The two teams came out of the halftime break in a scoreless tie, and the Hornets (7-2-4, 5-1-2 ODAC) tallied the go-ahead goal just 2:47 into the new frame thanks to Chris Wiley. Evan Pask gained control of the ball in the attacking third and worked his way towards goal. After being stood up by a defender, he chipped the ball up and into the box for Wiley. Wiley ran with the ball on the left side and flicked a shot with his right foot inside the right post for the score.
The Generals (8-3-3, 4-0-3 ODAC) responded with an equalizer in the 72nd minute, shortly after gaining a free kick near midfield. Senior
PJ Ryan sent the free kick to his right for first-year
Trey Peterson, who lofted the ball inside the 18. His pass made its way just over the head of a leaping Hornet defender and to sophomore
Matthew Jenkins, who took a shot at the six-yard line. Jenkins' shot was blocked, but it redirected right to first-year
Ryan Sharpe in the middle of the box, and Sharpe knocked it into the goal to tie the game.
Only one shot was sent on goal across the final 19 minutes of play, and that belonged to Jenkins just 30 seconds after the W&L goal. The Hornets controlled possession, but a cross-field pass was intercepted by sophomore
Dmitri Tulloch, who took a big touch to the right for Jenkins. Jenkins managed to fight off a defender and let a shot fly from a tough angle on the right, but Lynchburg keeper Thomas Viscuso snuffed out the attempt.
Both defenses kept the opposing offenses at bay after that with only three total shot attempts, all off goal. Neither offense was able to generate a shot over the final 3:06 of play.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Sharpe's goal marked his second of the season, and he took one shot in the game. Jenkins received credit for his second assist of the season, plus two shots and one on goal. Joseph played all 90 minutes in the W&L goal and made two saves.
Wiley's goal came on his only shot of the game, while Pask picked up an assist on the play and took one shot. Three other Hornets took two shots each to lead the team and combined for two attempts on goal. Viscuso also played the duration of the game between the posts and made three saves.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games after Saturday's result. It is the first time since the 2022 season that the program has reached a double-digit unbeaten run, with the 2022 team going 15 straight (11-0-4) midseason.
TEAM STATS:
The Hornets held the edge for the game in total shot attempts at 11-7, but both teams took five shots in the second half. Corner kicks favored the Blue and White, 3-2.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to action on Wednesday when they come home to host Roanoke at 7:00 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.
