BALTIMORE – Senior
Will Luik scored in the 15th minute and the Washington and Lee defense held off a final-minute scramble from Otterbein, as the Generals bested the Cardinals, 1-0, in the first round of the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship on Saturday.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first 14 minutes of play saw just one shot attempt, an off-target try from Otterbein's (12-7-3) Drew Boettcher, as both teams looked for openings in the opposing defense early on. In the 15th minute, Luik and senior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe played the ball back and forth to each other, before a slick, back-heel flick from Agbeyegbe left Luik with plenty of room for a shot. Luik's attempt was partially saved by Jason Villabolos in goal, but the shot had too much power behind it and made its way over the line for the 1-0 W&L (14-3-4) lead.
The Generals got four additional shots off in the remaining time in the first half, with Villabolos making saves in the 17th and 24th minutes. The Cardinals came close to equalizing late in the half, but a Kasdin Hale shot clanked off the crossbar in the 41st minute, before a follow-up attempt from Hale was saved by W&L keeper
Will Joseph.
In the opening minutes of the second half, it was the Generals' turn to put a scare into the Cardinals, as Agbeyegbe put a shot off the crossbar in the 49th minute, before Villabolos was called upon once more in the 52nd minute for his third save. In the 67th minute, sophomore
Matthew Jenkins tried to give W&L a two-score advantage but saw his shot bang off the left post.
In the final minute of the game, Otterbein had everyone up in the attacking third, and Boettcher tried his luck from inside the goal box. His shot was blocked and deflected out by Luik for a corner kick. On the ensuing cross, the Generals were able to hit the ball up into the air a couple times to waste some time, before a final tap into the six-yard box was caught by Joseph just wide of the frame in the waning seconds.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Luik's first-half score was his first goal of the season, and his second-straight NCAA Tournament game with a goal dating back to last season's national semifinal. Agbeyegbe was credited with his seventh assist of the season, a single-season career high, and he led his side with six total shot attempts. Joseph played all 90 minutes in goal and made one save to get his eighth shutout of the season.
Boettcher and Hale both took two shots to lead the Cardinals' attack, but Hale was the only player to manage a shot on target. Villabolos ended the day with four saves in goal in the losing effort.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
With Saturday's win, the Generals have now gone 17 straight games without a loss (13-0-4). That breaks the 2021 team's single-season record of 16 straight unbeaten, and it ties a run of 17 games from the 2018-19 seasons for the program's longest overall stretch without a loss.
Agbeyegbe's assist on Luik's goal was the 25th of his career, which ties him with former teammate Michael Kutsanzira '23 for second most in program history. Only Samuel Bass '23, another former teammate of Agbeyegbe's, has more.
Joseph's eighth shutout of the season gives him his second season out of three with at least eight clean sheets. He joins Michael Nyc '22 as the only goalkeepers in program history to accomplish that feat. Additionally, Joseph now has 23 shutouts in his career, two away from breaking the program record held by Nyc.
TEAM STATS:
W&L outshot Otterbein by a final total of 11-6, which included a 5-3 margin in the first half and 6-3 in the second. Corner kicks favored the Cardinals, however, by a 4-2 count.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will meet host and 15th-ranked Johns Hopkins in the NCAA Tournament second round on Sunday at 3:00 p.m., after JHU advanced past Penn State Behrend, 1-0, in overtime earlier in the day. It will be a rematch of the two teams' 2024 season opener, a 2-0 Blue Jays victory.
CHECK OUT THE POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
WITH HEAD COACH LUMUMBA SHABAZZ AND SENIOR WILL LUIK
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.
