W&L Men Fall In NCAA Final Four
Making its third Final Four appearance in four years, the Washington and Lee University men’s soccer team concluded its season with a 1-0 loss to Connecticut College in the NCAA Division III semifinals on Thursday night at Peter Johann Memorial Field at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
In the national championship game on Saturday afternoon at UNLV, Connecticut (14-3-8) would lose to Amherst College (16-2-5), which won 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a scoreless game.
On Thursday, a secondhalf, set-piece goal from Connecticut proved to be all the scoring necessary, as the Generals (15-4-6) bowed out in the national semifinals for the second year in a row. Last year, after tying the game 2-2, the Generals lost to national runner-up Amherst 2-0 in a shootout in the semifinals. Two years earlier, the Generals lost to national champion Connecticut College 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals.
In Thursday’s game, the Camels earned a free kick in the 60th minute on the right side, following a foul to disrupt an attacking opportunity. Alessandro Horvath Diano took the kick for Connecticut and bent it perfectly into the top-left corner of the goal to put his side ahead. The Camels tried for a second score shortly thereafter, but a shot from Marco Perugini missed high.
The game did not see another shot on goal until the 85th minute, when W&L’s PJ Ryan found space from inside the box for a shot, but CC’s Peter Silvester was there for the stop. The final shot on goal in the game was claimed to by W&L’s Spencer Furman in the 88th minute, but he was unable to get the try past Silvester.
The Generals dominated possession and the offensive chances in the first half, with a 5-2 total shot advantage by halftime. Their closest opportunity, not just in the first half but for the game, came when Ryan attempted to scissor-kick a shot from near the penalty spot. Ryan put all his power behind it, but Silvester got enough of a piece of the ball to deflect it up off the crossbar and back into the field of play before it was cleared.
W&L freshman Justin Ceccanecchio took the next two shots for the Generals in the 30th and 36th minutes, but his first try missed high and his second was saved. Sophomore Aaron Cordova then had a chance in the 43rd minute on the right side, but his shot was also stopped at the near post.
Ryan led W&L with three shots on goal, while Furman had two shots on goal.
W&L junior goalkeeper Will Joseph played all 90 minutes and made two saves. For CC, Silvester covered all 90 minutes in goal and made seven saves.
Under the direction of firstyear head coach Lumumba Shabazz, the Generals won their eighth ODAC title in program history last month.
After a stellar career, W&L senior forward and midfielder Weyimi Agbeyegbe was chosen as a Second Team All-American on Saturday. Last year, he was named a Third Team All-American. Agbeyegbe closed out his career with yet another dazzling season, as he led the ODAC in goals (14) and points (35) for the third consecutive season to claim ODAC Player of the Year honors. It also marked his third straight season reaching both at least 10 goals and 30 points. During the season, Agbeyegbe began W&L’s all-time leading scorer at 118 points, and he finished his career with 121 total. He also ranks tied for second in career assists (25) and third in goals scored (48).
Agbeyegbe was one of five Generals who earned All-Region honors. He was named to the First Team All-Region VI and was joined on the team by Ryan, also a senior. Joseph, a junior defender, and sophomore Dmitri Tulloch, a forward and midfielder, made the Third Team All-Region. Sophomore midfielder Matthew Jenkins was named to the Fourth Team All-Region.
The Generals will graduate eight seniors, who helped W&L win two ODAC titles: Agbeyegbe, Ryan, goalkeeper Matt Samcesen, midfielder and defender Asa Tuke, midfielders Lucas Pleasants, Paul Collins and Ayush Kataria; and defender Will Luik.
For more on the national semifinal game and the W&L season, visit www.generalssports. com.
