BALTIMORE – After 110 minutes of play yielded a 1-1 draw, it was the No. 21 Washington and Lee men's soccer team who advanced into the NCAA Round of 16, as the Generals outscored No. 15 Johns Hopkins, 4-2, in the penalty shootout on Sunday evening to move on.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Blue Jays (13-3-5) were the first team to shoot in penalties, but the Generals (14-3-5) gained the upper hand in the shootout after
Will Joseph stopped Francis Meyer's attempt towards the right post. W&L then capitalized on its first shot when senior
Lucas Pleasants scored just inside the right post.
The next two shot attempts were good from both teams, as Jonathan Cui (JHU) and
Willy Hall (WLU) scored for their sides. In round three, Logan Falzarano sailed his shot high and to the right to put W&L a score and a stop away from advancing. Senior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe did his part on the ensuing chance, but Will Sangpachatanaruk kept the Blue Jays alive by scoring in round four.
Just as he did in the penalty shootout in last year's national quarterfinal, senior
PJ Ryan stepped up next for the Generals and put a missile of a shot into the back of the net before being mobbed by his teammates at the penalty spot.
Ryan played a vital role in the Generals' lone goal in regulation, as he sent a long pass up field in the 38th minute for first-year
Ryan Sharpe. Sharpe received the ball well inside the goal box and had an initial shot attempt saved, but he stayed with the play and scored on his follow-up attempt to give W&L a 1-0 lead.
Shortly after the teams returned to action out of halftime, Sangpachatanaruk received some good fortune to level the score in the 50th minute. A pass played up by the Hopkins offense was met outside the box by Joseph, who tried to clear but had it blocked by one of his own defenders. Sangpachatanaruk was wise to the opportunity and lofted a shot goalward that glanced just off the inside of the left post and across for the goal.
Neither side saw many chances from the 91st minute to the 110th, as there were just five shots over the final 20 minutes and one in the second overtime period before the teams headed for the shootout.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Sharpe's goal in the 38th minute was his third goal of the season, while Joseph made one save in the 110 minutes of play. Sophomore
Spencer Furman tallied a team-high four shots and Agbeyegbe got three attempts off in the game.
Sangpachatanaruk scored and took two shots in the game as the only Blue Jay with multiple shot attempts. Simon Turner covered all 110 minutes in the Johns Hopkins goal and made three saves, before Loucas Costeas came on and served as the team's goalkeeper for the shootout.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals will make their fifth consecutive and seventh overall appearance in the NCAA Round of 16 next weekend. The program is now 9-0-1 in the first two rounds across its last five NCAA Tournament appearances.
With the draw, W&L extended its undefeated streak to a program-record 18 straight games (13-0-5), breaking the record of 17 that spanned the final 16 games of the 2018 season and one game into the 2019 campaign.
TEAM STATS:
The Generals held a large shot advantage early, outshooting the Blue Jays 10-1 in the first half before finishing with a 19-8 final count. W&L also earned nine corner kicks and conceded three.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will meet No. 20 Williams in the NCAA Round of 16 next weekend. W&L and Williams will join No. 6 Dickinson and No. 17 Buffalo State at a site to be determined. This will mark the first all-time meeting between W&L and Williams in men's soccer.
CHECK OUT THE POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
WITH HEAD COACH LUMUMBA SHABAZZ AND JUNIOR WILL JOSEPH
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.
