After a historic run, the Washington and Lee men’s soccer team had their 2021 season come to a close in a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss to Connecticut College in the NCAA semifinals.

The top-ranked Generals broke the game open in the 74th minute when forward Adrian Zimmerman, ’24, electrified the W&L crowd and found the back of the net off an assist from Grant McCarty, ’24, and Victor Ndhlovu, ’23.

That goal marked Zimmerman’s fifth consecutive game with a goal and his 11th goal of the tournament, according to Generals Athletics.

It wasn’t long before the Camels equalized the game off the foot of forward MT Tshuma. The 1-1 tie would hold for the rest of regulation and send the game into overtime.

The momentum in the game continued to shift when a contentious penalty in the 85th minute on the Generals forced them to play down a man.

Then, with time winding down in the first overtime period, the Camels delivered the dagger with a goal from defender Steve Yeonas to seal a 2-1 victory.

Despite the loss, the Generals were not short on individual honors. Defender Jack Rawlins ’22 became the second First Team All-American in the history of the men’s soccer program, according to Generals Athletics. Michael Kutsanzira ’23 and Samuel Bass, ’23, each brought home Second Team All-American honors of their own.

Goalkeeper Michael Nyc, ’22, continued to rewrite the W&L history books. According to Generals Athletics, he now holds the record for career goals-against average in addition to the records for shutouts in a season and shutouts in a career.

Their run to the semifinals marked the best NCAA tournament finish for the Generals in program history. The 2021 squad also set the record for most goals scored with 70, according to Generals Athletics.