LEXINGTON, Va. – A goal from sophomore
Trian Kechagias in the 62nd minute was enough to push the Washington and Lee men's soccer team past Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday, following pregame senior recognitions.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Through more than 61 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Generals (9-3-4, 5-0-4 ODAC) broke through on the scoreboard when senior
Lucas Pleasants found Kechagias on an inswinging corner cross on the near post. Kechagias flicked the ball on with his head, through traffic and into the back of the net for the goal.
The Marlins (11-3-3, 6-2-1 ODAC) had a response two minutes later, but Gio Zizza's shot attempt was stopped by W&L junior keeper
Will Joseph. In the 68th minute, Kechagias found himself with another opportunity for a score, but his shot from inside the box was saved by a defender, before junior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe had his follow-up attempt blocked.
Over the final 22 minutes of action, both teams managed three shot attempts, but none were on target. Agbeyegbe had a shot with 14 seconds left from midfield, with the Marlins' keeper having come up to help on offense for a last-ditch effort. While his shot missed wide to the right, Agbeyegbe's effort on the final play burned the remainder of time to lock up the win.
The Marlins controlled the offensive chances in the first half, with six shots and three to the Generals. Two of Virginia Wesleyan's shots in the first 45 minutes were on target, but Joseph made saves in the 19th and 31st minutes to keep the game scoreless.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Both Kechagias and Agbeyegbe took four shots in the game, with Kechagias putting two on goal. Kechagias's goal was his second of the season. Joseph and senior
Matt Semcesen shared the shutout in goal for W&L. Semcesen got the start and played the first 14:01, before Joseph covered the rest of the game and made three saves.
Zach Bittler and Nate Mitchell were the only two Marlins players to take multiple shots in the game (2), with six other players shooting once each. Goalkeeper Ben Haynes covered all 90 minutes between the posts and made one save.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals improved to 5-0-4 in conference play with Saturday's win, giving them 19 points in the ODAC table. Despite being tied with Eastern Mennonite for the most draws in league play this season, the Generals currently own the best ODAC goal differential (+15) in the conference.
Saturday's win also extended W&L's unbeaten streak to 12 consecutive games, tied for the fourth-longest single-season unbeaten stretch in program history, and tied for fifth longest overall unbeaten run.
TEAM STATS:
W&L held the final advantage in total shots by an 11-10 count, after outshooting the Marlins, 8-4, in the second half. Virginia Wesleyan, however, took eight corner kicks and allowed just three to the Blue and White.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will close out their regular season on Wednesday when they travel to Randolph-Macon 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.
