Box Score BRIDGEWATER, Va. – Washington and Lee scored on a late penalty kick Saturday afternoon to hand the Bridgewater College Eagles a 2-1 loss in ODAC men's soccer action.
The contest appeared to be destined for overtime when the Eagles were called for a foul in the box with just 1:08 remaining. W&L senior Ben Bayles converted the penalty kick for a 2-1 lead and the Generals ran off the final minute to preserve the victory.
The contest was the conference opener for both teams. Bridgewater is now 1-3-1 overall while the Generals improve to 3-2-1 on the season.
The visitors wasted little time in grabbing the upper hand as the Generals scored in the fourth minute. Austin Gilbert found the back of the net from 15 yards out for a 1-0 W&L lead.
The scored remained 1-0 until the Eagles evened the contest in the 61st minute. Renato Grgic played a through ball ahead to Alex Farrington for a breakaway opportunity and the Eagles senior beat the W&L keeper with a shot from straight on just outside the box to tie the score.
Bridgewater had an opportunity to take the lead late when Farrington moved inside the box with possession, but was knocked off the ball. No foul was called, however, and the Generals cleared the ball out of their defensive half.
The Generals held a 22-6 edge in shots and a 14-1 margin in corner kick opportunities.
Kevin Gidari put a pair of shots on goal to lead the Eagles.
Bridgewater keeper Mark Davis finished the contest with nine saves while W&L keeper Gillen Beck recorded three saves.
The Eagles are back in action Wednesday evening when they travel to Buena Vista, Va., to play Southern Virginia in a non-conference contest. Game time is 6:00 p.m.
