MEDFORD, MA (November 18, 2023) -- Visiting Washington & Lee University scored in the 49th minute on a deflected shot and made the lead stand up as the Tufts University men's soccer squad saw its 2023 season come to an end in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament Third Round with a 1-0 loss on Bello Field on a chilly, windy day in Medford.
Washington & Lee (15-4-4) moves on to the NCAA Quarterfinals with the victory, taking on Colorado College Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. on Bello Field after the Tigers topped Ohio Northern University 1-0 in double overtime.
The contest was close throughout the first half for the Jumbos, as
Sean Traynor had maybe the best chance of the first half just 55 seconds into the game as his shot from inside the box on the right side whizzed just wide.
Traynor had another chance in the 14th minute, as his attempt from nearly the same spot as his first attempt also missed to the left of the right post. WLU would settle into the game, and had 10 of the game's 13 shots at the break though Tufts had a 53-47 edge in possession at halftime.
The Generals came out of the halftime break with some energy, as Weyimi Agbeyegbe had a great chance inside the box in the 48th minute but his shot was off target. His squad though would take the lead in the 49th minute, as Matteo Adler fired a shot off a long run which was deflected. The shot, which was going towards the right post, froze the goalkeeper after the ricochet and it fluttered into the left side of the net for the only goal of the contest.
Tufts would control the rest of the game, as WLU tucked in and defended for the majority of the match. In the 76th minute, it looked like Tufts had evened the score but a pass off the end line into the goal mouth was ruled out of bounds prior to the equalizer.
With three minutes to go, the biggest decision of the game came for the center official as
Sean Traynor was brought down in the box by a General defender but the whistle never came as WLU held on for the victory.
The visitors held a 19-8 edge in shots on the game, though both squads each had three shots on target for the game. Tufts led the corner kick ledger with a 7-4 edge, and were given both yellow cards in the game. Grant McCarty took a team-high five shots for WLU, while Traynor and
Mateo Bargagna each took nine shots for the Jumbos.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Nikola Antic made two saves in net for Tufts, which finished the season 14-4-3 on the year. Tufts was making its 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
--JUMBOS--
