LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. – The third-ranked Washington and Lee men's soccer team suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Covenant College on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Scots (4-0) moved out in front in just the fifth minute of the game when an initial shot attempt from Whitt Tisdale was saved by W&L (1-3) keeper
Will Joseph. The ball was then rebounded by and buried into the back of the net on the first touch by Jackson Hinson for the 1-0 lead.
The game remained at a 1-0 score at halftime and through an additional 27:33 of the second half before the Scots doubled their lead thanks to Jackson Backstrom. The ball was flicked into the box from Ty Morgan, and Backstrom raced into the box after it, before hitting a scissor-kick shot just under the crossbar. The Scots then tacked on the third goal four minutes later on a penalty kick taken by Kade Theunissen.
W&L's offense made Covenant goalkeeper Eli Honeycutt work for the shutout, sending three shots on goal in each half. The final on-target try in the first half came on a diving header from senior
PJ Ryan around the six-yard box, but Honeycutt's fast reflexes allowed him to swat the ball over the goal just in time.
In the second half, first-year
Justin Ceccanecchio, sophomore
Dmitri Tulloch and sophomore
Jack Travis each found the goal once each, but Honeycutt made all three stops yet again to keep his side ahead.
TOP PERFORMERS:
Theunissen led the Scots' offense with five total shots, with Hinson and Backstrom combining for three attempts. Tisdale and Morgan picked up an assist each for the Covenant offense, with Honeycutt picking up the win and clean sheet in goal.
Seniors
Weyimi Agbeyegbe and
Lucas Pleasants, along with sophomore
Taha Kaba, each took three shots to lead the W&L offense, with Kaba putting one attempt on goal. Joseph played all 90 minutes in goal for the Generals and made four saves.
TEAM STATS:
W&L outshot Covenant by a final margin of 23-20, which was helped by a 13-8 advantage after halftime. The Blue and White also earned seven corner kicks on the night and conceded none.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to play on Friday when they meet Oglethorpe at 6:00 p.m. at the Charlotte Soccer Academy in Pineville, N.C.
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.
