Generals Lift Seventh ODAC Men's Soccer Trophy

LEXINGTON, Va. --- Senior defender Charley Colby (Prairie Village, Kan. / Shawnee Mission East) scored the game-winning and championship-clinching goal with under 40 seconds to play in regulation to lift the No. 22 Washington and Lee men's soccer team to its seventh ODAC title in program history, 2-1, over Roanoke on Saturday.
 
With time winding down in the second half and the score tied at one goal per side, senior midfielder Michael Kutsanzira (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe / Putnam Science Academy (Conn.)) received a throw-in and made a long cross to the right side, where senior midfielder John Peterson (Towson, Md. / Loyola Blakefield) headed the ball down to Colby atop the box. Colby took a touch to reset before firing with his left foot, as the ball bounced off the left post and into the net for the decisive score.
 
Roanoke (10-7-2) saw one final chance on a free kick with four seconds remaining, but the W&L (14-2-4) defense held strong to not allow a shot and clinch the championship.
 
All three goals in the game came over the final 16 and a half minutes, starting with a score from sophomore forward Weyimi Agbeyegbe (Atlanta, Ga. / Westminster) in the 74th minute. Kutsanzira was credited with the assist on the play, as he lofted a pass in from the right to Agbeyegbe inside the 18. With a defender draped on him, Agbeyegbe managed to volley the ball into the top right corner of the goal.
 
The Maroons responded in the 84th minute when Girom Affolter tried to find Till Pfleging inside the box. Pfleging touched the ball back out to Harrison Kraus, who loaded up and shot through traffic from 15 yards out to score the equalizer inside the left post.
 
With his two assists, Kutsanzira jumped up to tie Dylan Ritch '19 atop the program's career assists leaderboard, as he now has 24 in his career. Kutsanzira took a contest high five shots in the game. Agbeyegbe's goal was his 13th of the season, which now leads the ODAC, and Colby's tally was his third of the season, all of which have come in the last five games. Peterson, who headed the ball to Colby, was credited with his second assist of the campaign.
 
Kraus led the RC offense with three total shots in the game, including two on goal, and Liam Camilleri added a pair of on-target attempts as well. In total, seven different Maroon players tallied a shot.
 
For the goalkeepers, W&L first-year Will Joseph (Wilmette, Ill. / New Trier) (14-0-4) made five saves in 90 minutes, while Behe stopped four shots across the game's duration.
 
Following the conclusion of the game, Colby, Kutsanzira and senior defender Tyler Smith (Alexandria, Va. / St. Stephens & St. Agnes School) were named to the All-Tournament Team. Agbeyegbe made the team as well, earning the distinction of All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Additionally W&L's two goals in the game tied the 1993 Roanoke Maroons for the most team goals scored in a single ODAC Tournament (15). The Generals entered Saturday having scored 13 times across the quarterfinals (7-0) and semifinals (6-1).
 
The Generals receive the ODAC's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Championship, and they will find out who and where they will play in the tournament on Monday. The NCAA selection show will air at 1:30 pm at NCAA.com.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

  • Wills Huddleston, Hampden-Sydney
  • Boyce Purdie, Hampden-Sydney
  • Ilan Mejia, Virginia Wesleyan
  • Everett McCloskey, Virginia Wesleyan
  • Zach Behe, Roanoke
  • Dylan Berk, Roanoke
  • Harrison Kraus, Roanoke
  • Weyimi Agbeyegbe, Washington and Lee (MOP)
  • Charley Colby, Washington and Lee
  • Michael Kutsanzira, Washington and Lee
  • Tyler Smith, Washington and Lee