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W&L Soccer Teams Win ODAC Titles
The Washington and Lee University men’s and women’s soccer teams won Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles last weekend, with 1-0 scorelines, securing berths in the NCAA Division III tournaments. The W&L men won at Lynchburg on Saturday, and the W&L women defeated Virginia Wesleyan at home on Sunday.
In the men’s tournament, the Generals (13-3-4 overall, 6-0-4 ODAC) advanced to the finals by defeating Randolph-Macon College 1-0 in the quarterfinals on Nov. 2 and overcoming Virginia Wesleyan 3-2 in the semifinals last Wednesday, with both games at home.
On Saturday, W&L sophomore Spencer Furman netted the lone goal on the night to propel the Generals to a 1-0 win over Lynchburg (12-3-4, 7-1-2). It was W&L’s eighth ODAC tournament title in program history.
Furman’s goal came in the 53rd minute when the Generals earned a throw-in deep inside Lynchburg territory. The throw was booted out of the box, but it came right back to W&L’s Matthew Jenkins sophomore on the right side. Jenkins then fired a cross back in, and PJ Ryan flicked the ball past the keeper at the near post, leaving Furman with a wideopen net and an easy finish from inside the six-yard box.
The Hornets got a chance to tie the game in the 63rd minute when a cross came into the box from the left side. An attacking player headed the ball down towards Zach Whalen inside the six, but Furman was there to disrupt the timing of a shot attempt. Whalen tried to shoot, but misfired, as the ball remained underneath his boot. The ball was then poked free by the teamwork of Furman and Ryan. W&L goalkeeper Will Joseph pounced on the ball to avoid further danger. Jones played all 90 minutes and made two saves.
In the women’s tournament, W&L (18-1-1 overall, 10-0-0 ODAC) advanced to the championship game by defeating Roanoke College 3-0 in the quarterfinals on Tuesday of last week before beating Randolph- Macon College 4-0 in the semifinals on Monday.
On Sunday, a first-half goal from junior Sarah Zimmerman, paired with some key defensive stops in the second half, helped the Generals hoist the ODAC Championship trophy for the fifth time in program history on Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 home win over Virginia Wesleyan at Watt Field in Lexington.
Zimmerman’s winner in the 43rd minute was her 12th goal of the season and her seventh in the last six games. She finished the game with a high of five shots with three attempts on goal.
Through the first 20 minutes of play, both teams looked to find a rhythm, but only managed one shot apiece. The attempt by Virginia Wesleyan (10-6-3, 9-2-0), a free kick taken by Adrianna Gunther, appeared it was headed for the back of the net, but W&L goalkeeper Abby Groff leapt to the rescue and punched the ball over the goal for a corner. It was the one save of the game for Groff, who played all 90 minutes.
From the 21st minute until the end of the half, the Generals’ offense settled in for 10 total shots and put three on goal. In the 43rd minute, Zimmerman approached the 18 and let a shot go, but had her attempt blocked. The carom went off a second defender and right back to Zimmerman, who tried her luck again and, this time, put a perfectly placed shot into the top-right corner of the goal.
The Generals carried their momentum from the first half into the second, where they got another seven shots off across the first 17 minutes of play to just one from the Marlins. In the 65th minute, Emma Shuey lofted a cross in that clanked off the top of the crossbar and out for a goal kick.
To find out the Generals’ schedule and scores in the NCAA Division III tournaments, visit www.generalssports. com.
