Sangbouasy's Overtime Goal Seals Homecoming Win over Wesley

The game of soccer is decided by a complete 90 minutes of play. That’s a fact each and every player on Mary Washington’s men’s soccer squad won’t soon forget. On homecoming Saturday, hundreds of fans poured out to the Battleground only to see their beloved Eagles trailing in the final minutes despite a lopsided advantage in time of possession.

But with just six minutes remaining on the clock, the Eagles tied the game, sending the match to overtime. And just four minutes into the first period of extra time, Tommy Sangbouasy ended the game with a right-footed laser beam from thirty yards out. The 2-1 victory ensures that the Eagles will finish no worse than second place in the CAC, and will have a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

"What I love about our group is that we did it in style,” said UMW head coach Jason Kilby after the game. “It’s not like we were just playing frantic balls. We remained focused and did what we had to do.”

The Eagles somewhat controlled play in the first half, but were unable to turn chances into goals. In contrast, the Wolverines had just one real scoring chance, and cashed it in. In the 21^st minute, Eagle goalie Tyler Back mistimed his jump to intercept a cross, allowing the ball to trickle off his hands where Wesley’s Kyle Long deposited it in the back of the net.

Despite the deficit, the Eagles were not without chances. In the 62^nd minute, senior midfielder Robby Davis launched a shot that the Wesley keeper failed to handle cleanly, and the ball hung in the box for a few fleeting seconds before a defender stepped in and cleared it.

All game, the Eagles sent balls down the left wing, and finally in the 84^th minute, the strategy paid off. Nick Shepherd lobbed a pass into the ’18 and senior forward Corey Sims headed it home to tie the game at one apiece. The tally woke up the crowd, who responded with a chant of “Let’s Go Eagles!” Despite continued pressure, UMW was unable to score the decisive goal in regulation and the teams headed to overtime.

With momentum on their side, the Eagles knew it was just a matter of who and when. Just four minutes into the period, they got their answer. Sophomore defender Tommy Sangbouasy turned and fired a shot from 30-yards out. As the 800+ patrons in attendance held a collective breath, the ball arced past the outstretched hands of Wesley backup keeper Brian Zuber and into the back of the net, sending everyone into a frenzy.

To Sangbouasy, the overtime goal was redemption for missteps early on.

“All throughout the game I was kinda frustrated in my play,” said Sangbouasy. “It’s homecoming; everybody wants to play well. Luckily, my teammates were able to tie it up. I just took the shot, I didn’t really think about it. Bram put it across to me, I took one touch and let it go.”

Mary Washington (7-5-3, 5-1-2 CAC) will travel to Christopher Newport University this Wednesday, Oct. 26, for a huge non-conference rivalry game before the start of the CAC tournament Oct. 29.