LEXINGTON, Va. – Senior
Weyimi Agbeyegbe scored two goals to break the Washington and Lee men's soccer program all-time points record on Wednesday night to help his side past third-seeded Virginia Wesleyan in the semifinals of the ODAC Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Agbeyegbe's record-breaking tally came on a penalty kick taken in the 27th minute after a teammate was fouled by Virginia Wesleyan keeper Ben Haynes inside the box. Agbeyegbe placed his shot perfectly inside the left post and just out of the reach of Haynes to set the scoring record.
The game remained in a 1-0 W&L advantage into the second half where the game intensified. In the 52nd minute, VWU's Gio Zizza hit Nolan Schulte with a centering pass from the right side to tie things up at one. Agbeyegbe then padded his new points record and gave the Generals their lead back in the 70th minute when he scored from close range following a centering throw-in from sophomore
Matthew Jenkins.
Less than four minutes later, it was Jenkins who found space on the left side for a run into the box with the ball. As a defender closed on him, Jenkins hit a right-footed shot across his body and past Haynes to give W&L a 3-1 advantage.
The Marlins did not back down, however. Just 1:09 after Jenkins' goal, the Marlins were awarded a penalty kick of their own, but Nate Mitchell sailed his attempt well over the frame. Another 1:16 after that, Aaron Deans picked his teammate up when he lofted a cross into the box that made its way inside the right post to cut the Marlins' deficit back to a goal.
Virginia Wesleyan kept at it across the final 14 minutes of play, getting nine shots off while allowing none to the Generals. W&L junior goalkeeper
Will Joseph was required to make two saves during that stretch, while the Blue and White backline blocked three attempts. After Joseph's final save with under 50 seconds to play, the Generals maintained possession the rest of the way to run out the clock.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Agbeyegbe's brace put his season goal total at 14 and his point total at 34, as he finished the night with three shots. Jenkins' goal in the 74th minute went down as the game-winner and his third score of the season. Joseph played all 90 minutes in the W&L goal and made six saves.
The Marlins were led on offense by Schulte, who took seven shot attempts and scored his seventh goal of the season. Deans' goal was his first of the year, and he took four shots.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Agbeyegbe entered play on Wednesday needing two points to pass Sam Chase '99 (117) for the program's career points record. He now has 120 points on 48 goals and 24 assists in his career, and he can become the program's all-time leading goal-scorer with five more goals (Chase, 52).
With Wednesday night's victory, the Generals are now unbeaten over their last 15 games (11-0-4). That is tied for the second-longest single-season streak and tied for the third-longest overall unbeaten streak in program history. The 2022 team was the most recent to accomplish the feat, also going 11-0-4 in a 15-game stretch.
Wednesday night's win ensures a third consecutive trip to the ODAC Tournament championship game for the Generals. They won two of those three appearances.
TEAM STATS:
The Marlins used a 17-3 shot advantage in the second half to outshoot the Generals by a final tally of 22-6. Corner kicks favored the Blue and White, however, by a 4-2 margin.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will meet Lynchburg in the ODAC championship game for the second straight season on Saturday in the Hill City. The two teams met on October 19 in Lynchburg during the regular season and settled for a 1-1 draw.
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.
