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The Washington and Lee University men’s soccer team overcame a two-goal, secondhalf deficit in the national semifinals on Friday night, but the team fell in a penalty shootout, 2-0, after 110 minutes against No. 13 Amherst ended in a 2-2 draw on Saturday in Salem.
In the national championship game on Sunday in Salem, Amherst College (16-3-4) fell to St. Olaf College (20-3-3).
Against W&L (15-4-6), with the Mammoths leading by a 1-0 score entering the second half, Amherst’s Mohammed Nuhu and Niall Murphy teamed up for a quick second goal just 28 seconds into the new frame. Murphy flicked the ball on down the field, while Nuhu got in behind the defense and looped a shot over W&L goalkeeper Will Joseph for the 2-0 lead. The Mammoths’ first goal came in the 18th minute on a goal from Fynn Hayton-Ruffner, who hit a shot from outside the box into the top-left corner of the goal.
Seeking to shift the momentum back in their favor, the Generals attack claimed longer possession over the final 25 minutes, reducing the Amherst chances. In the 67th minute, W&L’s Will Luik dribbled towards the 18, but backed out and found Willy Hall on the left side. With plenty of space, Hall moved to his left to gain possession and surveyed the defense for a play. With his right foot, Hall sent the ball into the box, and curled the ball just inside the right post.
The Generals tallied three shots over the next 20 minutes, but held Amherst to one in that span. In the 88th minute, Luik had the ball at the top of the 18 and ripped a shot goalward that took a redirection, freezing the keeper and finding the back of the net on the right side of the frame.
Twenty additional minutes of play went scoreless, despite W&L holding a 7-0 advantage in shots in the overtime periods. In the shootout, the first round matched the Generals’ quarterfinal shootout win over Colorado College two weeks earlier, as both goalkeepers came up with saves. Over the next three rounds, the Mammoths scored twice, while the Generals hit the crossbar twice and had another attempt saved by Max Landa. Amherst’s Shawn Rapal tallied the clinching score.
Hall’s goal to cut the W&L deficit to one was his first of the year, while Luik’s equalizer with 2:21 left was his second. Hall also led the Generals with four shot attempts, while Evan DiPaula senior got three shots off.
Joseph played all 110 minutes in goal and made three saves, including two acrobatic stops to keep Amherst off the board. Joseph, a sophomore, was honored last weekend, winning the NCAA’s Elite 90 award for having the highest cumulative grade point average among all the players in the Final Four. Joseph, who majors in accounting and the classics, has a 4.0 GPA. He became only the fourth W&L athlete in any sport to win the award.
Nuhu’s goal was also his only shot of the game, with Murphy picking up the assist on the play. Hayton-Ruffner took two shots and put both on goal, while he and Ada Okorogheye tied for the team high with two shots. Landa finished with two saves in goal across all 110 minutes of play.
The Generals finished the game with a final 16-8 margin in total shots after outshooting the Mammoths 13-3 after the second half. W&L also took five corner kicks, all after halftime, and conceded four.
W&L, under the direction of 10th-year head coach Mike Singleton, finished the year with 59 goals scored, the thirdhighest total in program history.
The Generals, who were runners- up to Lynchburg College in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament, were making their second Final Four appearance in three years. Two years ago, the Generals lost to national champion Connecticut College 2-1 in overtime in the national semifinals.
For more on the semifinal game, visit www.generalssports. com.
