NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's soccer team (6-7-1, 5-4-1) continued their push towards the post season with a 1-0 victory over the Westminster Titans (6-6-3, 3-4-2).
Freshman
Gavin Patterson (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan) led the Presidents with a goal off three shots on target. Sophomore
Jonathan Barahona (Leesburg, Va./Tuscarora) also recorded three shots. Senior captain
Owen Rowlands (Hazle Township, Pa./Wyoming Seminary Prep) and freshman
Ryan Noel (Reisterstown, Md./McDonogh School) each had two.
The Presidents got off to a strong start by recording six shots in the first 25 minutes. Noel, Patterson, Rowlands, and sophomore
Luke Curran (Ellicott City, Md./Mount Saint Jospeh) each had a chance that required a save by the Titans' netminder. W&J had two more chances that required saves, but the Westminster back line held together, and the contest went into halftime scoreless. W&J outshot Westminster 9-1 in the opening 45 minutes. The Red & Black also had a 3-0 advantage on corner kicks.
Both teams traded opportunities to begin the second half. The Red & Black kept creating corner kick opportunities to stay on the front foot. Junior
Alonte Harris (Washington, D.C./Washington Lee) and freshman
Isahias Torres (Homestead, Fla./Florida Christian) both had opportunities which required saves by the opposing goalkeeper. In the 83
rd minute, the Presidents forced their 10
th corner kick of the contest. On the ensuing set piece, Barahona placed a shot on goal before Patterson buried the rebound to give W&J a 1-0 lead.
The Presidents defense held on to allow W&J the 1-0 win, earning an important three points in the Presidents' Athletic Conference playoff race.
The Presidents defensive line, lead by sophomore goalkeeper
Logan Joseph (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon-McMillan), only allowed six Westminster shots throughout the contest. Joseph stopped both of the two shots that were on frame.
W&J returns to Alexandre Stadium to close out the regular season for a 5:00 p.m. kickoff against the Chatham Cougars on Wednesday (Oct. 28).
