HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, Va. --- Junior midfielder Harris Salom (Blacksburg, Va./Blacksburg) scored in the 81st minute to lift the 11th-ranked and second-seeded Washington and Lee men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Lynchburg to claim the 2019 ODAC championship.
The Generals win their sixth ODAC title overall and second straight, the first time in program history to win back-to-back conference championships, and improve to 15-2-3 overall in the process. W&L also earns the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship Tournament. The Hornets' season ends at 9-5-5 overall with the loss.
Scoreless through 81 minutes of play, the Generals earned a throw-in deep inside Lynchburg territory. First-year defender Charley Colby (Prairie Village, Kan./Shawnee Mission East) came up to take the throw and got the ball into the middle of the box. The ball dropped just over the head of a Lynchburg defender and onto the foot of Salom, who redirected the ball past the goalkeeper for the championship-clinching score.
Both teams battled hard throughout the entirety of the game, but the W&L defensive unit held strong against a relentless Lynchburg attack. After Salom's goal in the 81st minute, the Generals controlled the ball in the offensive end for a majority of the remainder of the game to ensure the win.
Salom's goal came on one of his game-high seven shot attempts in the contest, as his late score went down as his second goal of the season. Colby's assist was his sixth of the year, tied for the team high, and senior defender Oliver Dolberg (Clovis, Calif./Floyd B. Buchanan) shot four times.
Sophomore goalkeeper Michael Nyc (Kildeer, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) (15-2-3) earned the win, making seven saves over 90 minutes to record his 11th shutout of the season, extending his own program record.
For the Hornets, junior midfielder Ben Mackey led the offense with four shots and put two attempts on goal. Junior forward Abibi Osman contributed three shots in the game and also had two attempts on target. Junior goalkeeper Kyle Gallagher (9-5-5) took the loss after stopping five shots over 90 minutes of work.
For the game, the Generals held a 17-14 shot advantage and outshot the Hornets, 13-4, in the second half. There were five corner kicks in the game, three of which were taken by the Generals.
At the conclusion of the game, Dolberg, Salom and sophomore defenders Jack Rawlins (Springfield, Va./Lake Braddock Secondary) and Seth Chapman(Williamston, Mich./Fowlerville) were named to the ODAC All-Tournament team.
The Generals, ranked first in the South Atlantic Region heading into the ODAC semifinal round, will find out who and where they will play in the NCAA Tournament on Monday. The NCAA selection show will air at 1:30 pm at NCAA.com.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Seth Chapman, Washington and Lee
Oliver Dolberg, Washington and Lee
Jack Rawlins, Washington and Lee
Harris Salom, Washington and Lee
Jack Ashby, Lynchburg
Michael Lyons, Lynchburg
Luke Mega, Lynchburg
Cole Burton, Hampden-Sydney
Spell Carr, Hampden-Sydney
Tim Leuenberger, Roanoke
Isaac Wolfe, Roanoke
--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University athletic communications department. ---
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