CARLISLE, Pa. – Junior
Will Joseph stops three shots in penalties, while senior
Will Luik scored in regulation and netted the winner in the shootout to push the 21st-ranked Washington and Lee men's soccer team past No. 20 Williams (1-1, 4-3 PKs) in the NCAA Championship Round of 16 on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
With 110 minutes of soccer not being enough to produce a winner, the Generals (14-3-6) and Ephs (12-4-4) headed to a shootout to determine a quarterfinalist. Tate Michelson of Williams was the first player to shoot, but missed his shot high. W&L senior
Lucas Pleasants then gave his side a one-goal advantage through one round.
The next three shots were all good, before Williams keeper Ben Diffley managed to save a shot taken by senior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe to keep the shootout score tied, 2-2. The save by Diffley began a string of five straight shots that were not converted, as Joseph made 2-of-2 saves to one more for Diffley and a W&L shot off the crossbar.
With the score remaining tied at two through five rounds, David Armini (Williams) and first-year
Ryan Sharpe (WLU) both converted to send the shootout to a seventh round. Looking to give his team the upper hand, Joseph made his third save of the shootout with a stop to his left and just inside the right post. Luik then stepped up for the Generals and buried a shot inside the right post to send the Generals to the quarterfinals.
Luik gave the Blue and White an initial 1-0 lead in the 30th minute, after a free kick taken on the right side was tapped into the box by junior
Buster Couhig and flicked on around the penalty spot by senior
PJ Ryan. Luik slipped in behind the defense and tapped the ball past the keeper for the score.
The W&L lead was short-lived, however, as Williams' Andrew Coelho scored three and a half minutes later off a pass from Alex Bethencourt.
W&L and Williams combined for 13 shots in the first half, with seven for the Generals, before W&L took an additional eight in the second half and limited the Ephs to just three. They also outshot Williams, 4-1, across the extra 20 minutes of play, including a
Dmitri Tulloch shot in the 103rd minute that hit off the post.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Luik notched his second goal of the season, both of which have come in this year's NCAA Tournament run. Agbeyegbe took a team-high four shots and put one on goal, while junior
Willy Hall came in next with three attempts. In addition to his three stops in the shootout, Joseph made three saves across the 110 minutes of action.
Coelho's goal for the Ephs was his third of the season, as he and Kellan Grace took two shots each to pace the Williams efforts. Diffley covered all 110 minutes in goal and made five saves, plus an additional two during penalty kicks.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
The Generals advance to their third NCAA quarterfinal round in program history, all of which have come in the last four seasons. W&L also extended its program-record unbeaten streak to 19 games with Saturday's result.
Not only has Luik scored twice during this NCAA Tournament, each of his last three goals have come in NCAA Tournament games, dating back to an 88th minute equalizing goal against Amherst in last season's national semifinal.
TEAM STATS:
W&L finished the game with a 19-10 positive margin in shot attempts, which included 12-4 after the first half. The Blue and White allowed Williams' only corner kick in the first half and proceeded to take seven of their own after halftime.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will face off against site host and sixth-ranked Dickinson in the national quarterfinals on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. after the Red Devils ousted Buffalo State, 2-0, in Saturday's second game. It will be the sixth all-time meeting between W&L and Dickinson in men's soccer and the first since 2012.
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:
Head Coach
Lumumba Shabazz, along with Joseph and Luik, spoke with the media following the game. To view the postgame press conference, click
here.
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.
