PINEVILLE, N.C. – The Washington and Lee men's soccer team returned to the win column on Friday evening after posting three goals in a 13-minute span in the second half, besting Oglethorpe by a 3-0 final score from the Charlotte Soccer Academy.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a scoreless first half that saw just five shot attempts, and only one from the Generals (2-3), W&L needed less than five minutes to get on the board in the second half. W&L maintained possession in the offensive third, but the Oglethorpe defense disrupted some passing, which caused the ball to pinball around at the top of the 18. Senior
Lucas Pleasants then gained possession and found first-year
Ryan Sharpe inside the box, who deposited his shot through the legs of the keeper for the game's first score.
Less than two minutes later, the Generals doubled their lead on a goal from junior
Buster Couhig. With the Oglethorpe defense in possession, a weak pass back to the goalkeeper was picked up by sophomore
Dmitri Tulloch on the left side, who found Couhig on the right inside the box. With the keeper converging on Tulloch, Couhig was left with an open net for the tap-in score.
Tulloch was then responsible for the third and final goal of the game in the 63rd minute when he made a run up the right side and towards the box. With his defender beaten, Tulloch was shoved from behind and drew a penalty kick. Tulloch was the man to take the penalty and scored to the left side of the frame.
The Generals then finished off their first clean sheet of the season by allowing just three shots from that point on, with the defense blocking each attempt.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Tulloch tallied a career-high three points in the game on his goal and an assist, with his goal counting as the first of his collegiate career. It was also his second career game accounting for two goals (2 assists, 10/18/23). Couhig's goal was his first of the season and fifth of his career, while Sharpe netted the first score of his rookie season. Junior keeper
Will Joseph made one save in the game to get his first shutout of the season.
Oglethorpe's Adrian Levy attempted a team-high four shots, and Matthew Allen took two shots. AJ Evans played all 90 minutes in the Oglethorpe goal and made one save.
NOTEWORTHY POINTS:
Joseph's clean sheet was the 16th of his career, which ties him for fifth place in program history with Gillen Beck '18 and E.J. Murphy '99. His next shutout would tie Joseph for third-most in a career for the program.
The Generals' three-goal win over the Stormy Petrels was the second-largest margin of victory in the series history, trailing a 4-0 win two seasons ago in Lexington. All-time, the Generals are 5-1-1 against Oglethorpe.
TEAM STATS:
Oglethorpe finished with a 9-8 edge in total shots on the night after a 4-1 positive margin in the first half. The Generals, however, held the second-half advantage by a 7-5 count. The Stormy Petrels earned six corner kicks and conceded two.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to the pitch on Sunday when they host Brevard at 1:00 p.m., the third straight season that the Generals and Tornadoes will meet.
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.
