LEXINGTON, Va. – In a rematch of a regular season draw, the Washington and Lee men's soccer team proved to be the better side, as the team got two second-half goals to get past No. 23 Hampden-Sydney, 2-0, in Wednesday's ODAC semifinal round.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Junior Spencer Furman put the Generals (11-3-5) out in front in the 63rd minute. An in-swinging corner kick taken by senior Willy Hall was redirected towards Furman by senior Buster Couhig, where Furman scored his second goal of the season.
- W&L added its second goal 15 minutes later, courtesy of sophomore Ricardo Sanchez. Couhig gained control of the ball near midfield and led Sanchez on a breakaway with a pass behind the defense. Sanchez was able to then slot the ball past the keeper and inside the left post.
- Junior Matthew Jenkins also had strong chances at goal in the second half. Kaba nearly picked out the top-right corner on a curling shot from the left in the 78th minute. Junior Matthew Jenkins then had a shot saved in the 90th minute on a good effort from H-SC (13-4-2) keeper Stig Larson.
TOP PERFORMERS:
- Furman and Sanchez led the way for the W&L offense with their goals, while Couhig picked up two assists and Hall got another.
- Furman also led all players in shot attempts with four, followed by Kaba and Sanchez with three each.
- Larson and senior Will Joseph played the duration of the game between the posts. Joseph made two saves and Larson made three.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Generals are headed back to the ODAC championship game for the fourth straight year. They have won two conference titles in that time, and it'll be the third consecutive matchup in the final against Lynchburg.
- Furman now has four goals in his career as a defender, but has come up clutch when the Generals need it most; two of his goals have been scored in ODAC Tournament games, and both are game-winners.
TEAM STATS:
- W&L completed the game having doubled up the Tigers in shot attempts. They outshot the visitors 6-4 in the first half and 10-4 in the second for a 16-8 final count.
- There were 11 corner kicks taken in the game, with eight claimed by the Generals.
UP NEXT:
The Generals and Hornets will meet in the Hill City on Saturday to decide the conference crown and who gets the ODAC's automatic NCAA Tournament bid. No start time has been announced yet. Stay tuned to generalssports.com and odaconline.com for updates.
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.
