(November 2, 2007) VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Fletcher McCraw converted on a penalty kick opportunity in the 47th minute to give Washington and Lee their first lead of the match as the No. 3 seed Generals held on to upend the second-seeded Tigers 2-1 in their ODAC semifinal match Friday evening. Washington and Lee fought back from an early 1-0 deficit to improve their overall record to 12-2-3 and claim a spot in the ODAC Championship tomorrow night. Hampden-Sydney falls to 11-6-3 and will have to wait until Sunday to see if they will be selected as an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers jumped out to an early one goal lead just ten minutes in when junior midfielder Jason Powell (Marietta, GA/Pope) swung a corner kick near post where freshman defender Matt Swaney (Potomac Falls, VA/Potomac Falls) was able to head the ball over Generals' goalkeeper Ted Sheedy for his first goal of the season. Hampden-Sydney held onto their lead for the majority of the first half, and nearly extended their lead to 2-0 with 15 minutes to play in the first half when Sheedy made a tough save on a shot from Tigers' sophomore forward David Burley (Mount Pleasant, SC/Wando).

Washington and Lee was denied twice in the final 15 minutes of the opening stanza by Hampden-Sydney freshman goalkeeper John Robert Plyler (Charlotte, NC/Myers Park) on two excellent saves, but scored the equalizer with 5:03 to play on a brilliant effort by substitute Travis Short. Short collected a ball at the top of the box with his back to goal, shielded a defender while spinning toward the net and chipped a ball just over the outstretched arms of Plyler from 16 yards out to even the score at 1-1 going into the half.

1:46 into the second half, the Generals drew a foul in the corner of the box and McCraw capitalized on the opportunity by tucking his shot just inside the right post.

The remainder of the game was a battle in the midfield, and the Tigers were only able to muster three shots in the second half. The Generals survived ten corner kick opportunities for Hampden-Sydney and all but ensured a spot in the NCAA Tournament with their 12th win of the year.

Washington and Lee out-shot the Tigers 10-8 for the match and Sheedy recorded three saves for the Generals. Plyler registered five stops for Hampden-Sydney in their 2007 season finale.