LEXINGTON, Va. --- Senior defender Oliver Dolberg(Clovis, Calif./Floyd B. Buchanan) scored in the 81st minute to power the No. 11 Washington and Lee men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over N.C. Wesleyan in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
In a hard-fought battle between both teams, neither side could dent the scoreboard through over 80 minutes of play, until the Generals (16-2-3) earned a corner kick. Senior midfielder Kyce Darouiche (Houston, Texas/Strake Jesuit) hit an in-swinging cross into the box that was cleared momentarily by the Battling Bishops' (16-3-2) defense.
The ball ended up on the foot of first-year midfielder John Peterson (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield), who flicked the ball back into the box, where Dolberg headed in his fourth game-winning goal of the season.
Over the final nine minutes of play, the Generals shut down any chance of an N.C. Wesleyan equalizer, as the defense did not allow any shots in that time to hold the lead.
The Bishops came close to scoring in the 31st minute, when a corner kick taken by junior midfielder Dom Giovannini curled in towards the far post. Before the ball could cross the goal line, sophomore defender Seth Chapman (Williamston, Mich./Fowlerville) leaped to the rescue and headed the ball away from danger to keep the game scoreless.
Dolberg finished the game with two shots, with his goal going down as his fourth of the year. Peterson also shot twice and added his fourth assist of the season on Dolberg's goal, while first-year midfielder Samuel Bass (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park) led the offense with four shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Nyc (Kildeer, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) (16-2-3) made one save in the game to record his 20th shutout of his career, breaking a tie with Tim Foley '03 for the most in W&L Men's Soccer history.
Giovannini and junior forward Baboucarr Njie took two shots each to lead the Battling Bishops' offense. Sophomore goalkeeper Tobias Borzel (16-3-2) took the loss after making two saves in 90 minutes of action.
Both teams were about even in the first half, with the Generals slightly edging the Battling Bishops in shots, 6-5. However, W&L pulled away in the shot margin, courtesy of an 8-1 advantage in the second half for a 14-6 final shot total. W&L earned 13 corner kicks in the game, while N.C. Wesleyan took eight.
The Generals advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they will take on Gettysburg on Sunday at 1:00 pm at Watt Field.
--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University department of athletic communications. ---
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