LEXINGTON, Va. – The No. 23 Washington and Lee men's soccer team is poised for its 11th straight NCAA Tournament appearance this weekend, as the Generals open tournament play against Colorado College from Glassboro, N.J., on Saturday.
POD BASIC INFO:
The Generals and Tigers will square off in Saturday's second game on the campus of Rowan University at 2:30 p.m., after the host Profs match up against Marymount (Va.) at 12:00 p.m. The two advancing teams from Saturday's first round will then meet on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. in the second round with a spot in the Round of 16 on the line.
HOW THEY GOT THERE:
The Generals (12-3-3) earned the No. 4 seed for this year's ODAC Tournament and downed 5-seed Randolph-Macon, 2-1, before bowing out of the tournament against top-seeded Lynchburg, 2-1, in the semifinals. The Blue and White ended up as the No. 24 team in the final NCAA Power Index (NPI), more than high enough to qualify for an at-large bid into the national tournament.
The Tigers (15-2-2) are automatic qualifiers into the this year's NCAA Championship by way of a 1-0 win over LeTourneau in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) championship game. The Tigers went 8-0-1 in conference play during the regular season to earn the tournament's top seed, before they clinched their first SCAC Tournament title and first conference championship since winning the RMISL title in 1991.
The Profs (13-1-4) captured their third consecutive New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) championship last weekend, needing a 5-4 win in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw against Montclair State to claim the title. This year's appearance in the national tournament will be the 33rd in program history and fourth in the last five years. The Profs are 39-29-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with two national championships (1981, 1990).
The Saints (13-7-1) earned the Atlantic East Conference's automatic berth into the national tournament behind a 2-0 win over Immaculata in the conference championship game. It marked the program's first AEC conference title since 2022 after finishing as the runner-up the last two seasons. The Saints will make their second all-time appearance on the national stage this weekend, with a first-round exit coming in 2022.
MATCHUP HISTORY:
The Generals and Tigers have just one prior meeting in men's soccer, which came in the
2023 national quarterfinals at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. The two sides battled to a scoreless draw, before the Generals punched their ticket to their second national semifinal with a 5-4, penalty-kick-shootout win.
Will Joseph '26 starred in the shootout by making two saves, including one in the final round to secure victory.
Rowan and Marymount will be meeting for the first time ever in men's soccer when they open play on Saturday.
In potential Sunday matchups, the Generals have faced off against Rowan once (Sept. 3, 2016) and Marymount six times, owning a 5-0-1 all-time record against the Saints but no matchups since October 18, 2008. Should Colorado College advance to Sunday's second round, they would meet either Rowan or Marymount for the first time.
For more all-time matchup history for this weekend's teams, click on the following links:
Rowan |
Marymount |
W&L |
Colorado College
TOP PLAYERS & STATISTICAL LEADERS:
WASHINGTON AND LEE
The Generals received eight total All-ODAC selections this week, headlined by senior
Spencer Furman collecting the Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar Athlete of the Year and first-year
Rowan Sellers being named Rookie of the Year.
W&L All-ODAC Selections:
Sellers has burst onto the scene in his first collegiate season, leading the Generals with 21 points and 10 goals, the most goals in a season by a first-year since Sam Chase '99 scored 18 in 1995. Seife follows with 14 points on five goals and four assists, with Jenkins rounding out the top three at 10 points on two goals and a team-high six assists.
The Furman brothers, along with Arrowood, Apostolou and sophomore
Kaden Zion, have held strong all season on the defensive end of the pitch, yielding a 0.78 team goals-against average and nine clean sheets. Individually, M. Furman has covered 1,557:23 in goal and has a 0.69 GAA and 0.806 save percentage, both good for second in the ODAC this season.
COLORADO COLLEGE
The Tigers collected nine All-SCAC citations in all this week, paced by Teddy Opler getting his second straight Offensive Player of the Year award and head coach Scott Palguta leading the SCAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Colorado College All-SCAC Selections:
- First Team: Teddy Opler, JT Newbury, Jack Hilliard, Arlo Sollinger, Spencer Besselaar
- Second Team: Dylan Stapley
- Freshman Team: JT Newbury, Arlo Sollinger, Grayson Capodanno
Five players have registered double-digit points this season for the Tigers, led by Opler with 36 points on 13 goals and 10 assists, who is one of six players in all of Division III to have double-digit goals and assists. Hilliard is next with 22 points (8g, 6a), followed by Sollinger with 21 points (7g, 7a) and Capodanno and Zeke Lubin each with 11 points on four goals and three assists.
Besselaar has held things together in the back, playing 1,575 minutes in the CC goal this season. He owns a 0.74 GAA and 0.812 save percentage, with 56 saves and eight clean sheets. Stapley and Newbury have anchored the defensive unit, with Stapley adding two assists this season.
ROWAN
The Profs' postseason accolades were headlined by Evan Vilaboy securing the NJAC's Pat Baldiserra Midfielder of the Year award. Rowan eight All-NJAC citations, as well:
- First Team: Evan Vilaboy, Christian McGillen, Luke McNamee
- Second Team: DJ Mosley, Darrin Doyle, Greg Ferreira
- Honorable Mention: Luca Ercolano, Mike Moore
Vilaboy's 28 points in 18 games leads the Profs' offense this season, as he has scored 11 goals and dished out six assists. Each with five assists, Mosley is third on the team with 15 points, McGillen has 13 points and Ercolano has 11 points. Despite not making an All-NJAC team, Tanner Grozinski has added 16 points on four goals and a team-high eight assists.
On defense, McNamee, Doyle and Ferreira lead the way for a unit yielding a 0.71 team GAA and 10 shutouts this season. Doyle has played for over 96 percent of the team's minutes this season, posting a 0.74 GAA across 1,583:21 and nine shutouts to his credit.
MARYMOUNT
The Saints earned seven All-Atlantic East Conference and had two players receive major awards. Erick Shoetter-Rojas claimed Offensive Player of the Year honors and Alex Rendon Benitez was voted as the Elite Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Marymount All-AEC Selections:
- First Team: Erick Shoetter-Rojas, Alex Rendon Benitez, Adam Elonai, Matthew Guzman-Veizaga, Christopher Nascimento
- Second Team: Jorge Lopez-Escobar, Micah Vogler
Shoetter-Rojas leads the Saints' offense this season with 32 points on 14 goals and four assists, with Nascimento (9g, 2a) and Vogler (8g, 4a) both at 20 points. Topping the team leaderboard in assists is Nour Serrou with five, plus four goals for 13 points.
Elonai looks to continue his strong season in goal for the Saints this weekend. He owns a 0.88 GAA in 1,642:27, seven shutouts and a 0.778 save percentage, while Jacob Mudry has chipped in a 0.73 GAA in 247:33 this season. On the backline, Rendon-Benitez, Guzman-Veizaga and Lopez-Escobar have helped Marymount post 11 total shutouts this season with a combined 0.86 GAA.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Spectators for this weekend's games are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance through
HomeTown Ticketing. Adult tickets will be $15 and all children and student tickets will be $5. Children under the age of two will be admitted free. No cash will be accepted at the gate.
Rowan University is also offering an All-Session pass for Saturday's two games for $25. Tickets to Sunday's second round will be available for online purchase shortly after the matchup is determined.
LIVE COVERAGE:
All three games in Glassboro this weekend will be streamed for free on
NCAA.com with
live stats available for all three games, as well. Additional information about this weekend's teams and games can be found on the
Tournament Homepage.
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.
