DANVILLE, Va. – The Washington and Lee men's soccer team broke out for five first-half goals and had seven different goal scorers in a 7-0 win at Averett on Wednesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- In just the fourth minute of the game, junior Matthew Jenkins found the back of the net to get the W&L (8-2-5, 6-0-1 ODAC) offense going. Just over 11 minutes later, junior Spencer Furman found first-year Chris Ordway to double the lead.
- It took only 45 more seconds for the Generals to get their third goal. First-year Kaden Zion sent a cross into the box where senior Buster Couhig got a touch on to sophomore Ricardo Sanchez at the back post for the goal. Junior Jack Travis then got in on the scoring in the 34th minute with a blast from distance into the top-right corner.
- First-year Sami Seife completed the first-half scoring when he finished off a cross into the box from sophomore Justin Ceccanecchio. Couhig then tallied the team's sixth goal in the 65th minute on a well-placed lob shot from the left side.
- Junior Brad Dulin rounded out the team-scoring in the 85th minute when he curled a left-footed attempt into the top-left corner of the goal after junior Trian Kechagias left a pass off for him at the top of the 18.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Couhig has now scored in three consecutive games and has a team-high six goals on the season. Seife's score was his third of the year, while Jenkins, Ordway, Sanchez and Dulin all got their second. Travis's laser-beam effort in the 34th minute was his first of the year.
- Ceccanecchio and Furman both recorded their second assists of the season, with Zion and Kechagias logging their first helpers of the season.
- Sanchez led the Generals with four shot attempts, followed by Ordway with three and five additional players with two each.
- Senior Will Joseph and sophomore Miles Furman shared the shutout in goal. Joseph started and played the first half before Furman covered the second half. Both keepers made one save apiece.
- Anibal Lopez was the top Cougar in the game, as he made eight saves in 90 minutes of action in the Averett goal.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Generals inched their way closer towards the top seed in the ODAC Tournament and also received help in the form of a Virginia Wesleyan 3-2 win over Bridgewater. The Generals now lead the ODAC table with 19 points and two games remaining. Lynchburg is one point back and Bridgewater trails by three points.
- W&L continued is superior play in conference games with Wednesday's win. The team remains unbeaten in ODAC play (6-0-1) and has allowed just two goals in conference games this season.
- Overall, the Generals have gone 11 straight games without losing (8-0-3) and are unbeaten in 24 straight (18-0-6) ODAC contests.
TEAM STATS:
- W&L outshot the Cougars 14-2 in the first half and 10-2 in the second half for a 24-4 final advantage in goal attempts. Fifteen of the Generals shots ended up on goal.
- The Generals took 11 of the game's 12 corner kicks on the night, with six in the first half and five in the second half.
UP NEXT:
The Generals will return to action on Saturday when they host No. 23 Lynchburg at 4:00 p.m. in a pivotal matchup for conference tournament seeding.
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.
