Lynchburg, Va. -- University of Lynchburg men's soccer rounded out its regular season with a 1-0 victory over Hampden-Sydney Wednesday evening. Junior midfielder Manzi Shalita netted the game-winning goal in the 88th minute to lift the Hornets over the Tigers on Senior Day.
With the victory and Washington and Lee's loss to Guilford, Lynchburg wrapped up the top seed in the upcoming Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament. The Hornets will face Hampden-Sydney again as the Tigers enter the postseason as the No. 8 seed.
As Lynchburg celebrated its men's soccer Class of 2023, all 10 seniors on the roster were in the starting lineup. The Hornets' usual starting cast subbed on in the 15th minute, and by that time the Hornets had already amassed four shots including a shot on goal from Davis Hallman.
The Hornets outshot Hampden-Sydney 10-7 in the first half and forced Tiger goalkeeper Wills Huddleston to make three saves.
Out of the break, the physicality increased from both sides. The official blew the whistle for 13 fouls in the second half and assessed three cautions.
The Hornets fed off the increased pace and dominated possession in their attacking third. However, Hampden-Sydney's Stefan Ngoh seemingly made the play of the match in the 73rd minute. Seth Dale played a ball in front and Trevor Miller converted it into a shot on net, but Ngoh stepped up and cleared the ball off the line.
Ngoh's play only temporarily kept the match scoreless. With time running out, Luke Mega settled a ball during a scrum in the box and found Shalita. The junior from Fairfax, Va. split two defenders and tapped the ball towards the goal finding the back of the net and the game-winner.
Shalita earned his fifth-career goal, and four of his five scores have been game-winners.
The 25th-ranked Hornets (11-1-5, 8-1-1 ODAC) are also ranked fourth in the NCAA selection committee's regional rankings, which determine national tournament bids. Lynchburg will now look ahead to postseason play and Saturday's quarterfinal match against Hampden-Sydney. Game time is yet to be determined.
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