Generals Recover from Two Goals Down to Advance in NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament

Generals Recover from Two Goals Down to Advance in NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament

LEXINGTON, Va. --- The No. 11 Washington and Lee men's soccer team overcame a two-goal, first-half deficit to defeat Gettysburg, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
 
With the game tied at two goals apiece, the Generals (17-2-3) pushed forward on an attack. Junior midfielder Harris Salom (Blacksburg, Va./Blacksburg) hit a centering pass towards sophomore midfielder Connor Wharton (Littleton, Colo./Colorado Academy), but a Gettysburg (12-8-1) defender deflected the ball away and into the back of the net to give the Generals the final lead of the game.
 
Trailing by a goal at the half, W&L started to string together strong offensive chances through the first 15 minutes of the second, but could not equalize. In the 63rd minute, the W&L defense cleared the ball from danger, and senior defender Oliver Dolberg (Clovis, Calif./Floyd B. Buchanan) gathered the ball, turned and pushed for a counterattack. Just before crossing midfield, Dolberg sent a long through ball that split a pair of defenders and got to Salom.
 
Salom took one long touch and fired a shot from inside the 18 and past the Bullets' goalkeeper to tie the game.
 
Down two goals in the first half, first-year midfielder Victor Ndhlovu (Solwezi, Zambia/Trident College) found junior midfielder Harry Pinkerton (Suwanee, Ga./North Gwinnett) on the left side and just inside the box. From there, Pinkerton fired a shot that looped over the keeper and under the crossbar for W&L's first goal of the game.
 
The Bullets struck first on a pair of goals in a five-minute span mid-way through the opening half. Their first goal came on a W&L own goal in the 24th minute, before they went up 2-0 courtesy of a score from sophomore forward Jack Carroll in the 29th minute.
 
Salom finished with a game-high five shots, as his third goal of the year in the 63rd minute tied the game. Pinkerton's first-half strike was his sixth of the year, while Dolberg finished the contest with three shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Nyc (Kildeer, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) (17-2-3) made four saves in 90 minutes of action to earn the win.
 
For the Bullets, Carroll led the way for the offense with three shots and put two attempts on goal. Sophomore midfielder Oladayo Thomas came in next with two shots, both on target, and four other Gettysburg players shot once. Senior goalkeeper Thomas Keane (12-8-1) took the loss after making three saves in the contest.
 
For the game, the Generals held a 19-9 shot advantage, and pulled away in shots due to an 11-5 edge in the second half. The Bullets earned eight corner kicks in the game, while limiting W&L to just three.
 
The Generals will face-off against No. 5 Tufts next weekend in the Round of 16. The date, time and site of the game are yet to be determined.

--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University athletic communications department. ---
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