Box Score For Immediate Release – 10/22/16 - #093
Randolph Falls to #11 W&L on Saturday
LEXINGTON, VA – The Randolph College men's soccer team took on its second-consecutive top-15 team in the nation on Saturday. The two teams fought a defensive battle, but 11th-ranked Washington and Lee University defeated the WildCats 2-0 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play.
While defense was the main story on the day, the 'Cats did have a couple of close opportunities, with the first coming just over one minute in. Blake Heatherly ripped a shot towards the goal, but Gillen Beck was there to save it. Two minutes later, Travis Brown and Adam Watson each had attempts, but both were blocked by defenders.
Soon after, the Generals had their first attempts of the game, but both shots were wide of frame. The WildCats flipped the field, but Kyle Unruh suffered the same fate with his shot that befell Brown and Watson. W&L responded and got several chances before finally capitalizing in the 31st minute. After Viktor Dolberg rung the post with his attempt, Dylan Ritch sent home the rebound for the 1-0 lead.
Randolph pushed forward over the final minutes of the half, but could not find an equalizer, as the team entered the half with a 1-0 deficit.
The WildCats came out aggressively in search of the tying goal. Brown had a header attempt within the first 40 seconds, but it sailed just high. Unruh added a shot towards the net, but Beck was there to make the save.
Washington and Lee took some of the momentum away soon after. The hosts sent a header near the goal-line but it was cleared off by the 'Cats. W&L sent several more shots near the goal, but no damage would be done. After Heatherly had another good look stopped by Beck, the Generals doubled their advantage. A foul was committed in the box, and Will Hamryka converted from the spot to give the 11th-ranked team the 2-0 win.
Heatherly led the team with four total shots. Beck made three saves for Washington and Lee (12-3 overall, 6-1 ODAC).
Randolph (7-4-4, 2-2-3) returns home for its final two regular season games. The WildCats kick off that stretch on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Guilford College (5-7-2, 0-3-2) will be the opponent for the ODAC clash.
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