George Washington University
<b>LONGWOOD</b>
Early Goals Propel Men's Soccer Past Longwood, 2-1
10/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 3, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC - A pair of goals in the fifth minute by George Washington sophomores Erick Perez-Segnini and Andy Stadler proved to be enough as the Colonials men's soccer team withstood a late Longwood rally for a 2-1 victory at Mount Vernon Field on Wednesday afternoon.
GW (5-3-0), which entered Wednesday with the nation's eighth-best offense (2.29 gpg), owned most of the possession over the first 15 minutes and capitalized on its early opportunities. Perez-Segnini scored his fourth goal of the season off a long throw-in from sophomore Mike Briscoe 4:05 into the match, and Stadler netted his team- and Atlantic 10-leading sixth goal of the year 52 seconds later to help the Colonials to their second consecutive victory and avenge a 2-0 loss at Longwood in 2006. Senior Abimbola Pedro assisted on both goals, while classmate Joachim Walker initiated the attack on Stadler's tally.
Longwood (3-4-2) reorganized in the second half, turned the match into a back-and-forth battle and broke through in the 70th minute on Sean Harney's team-leading third goal of the year. Harney slipped a 25-yard drive past GW goalkeeper Greg Yahr into the lower right corner to cut the margin to a goal. The Lancers applied pressure over the final 20 minutes and nearly got the equalizer off a corner kick in the 82nd minute, but junior Dave Leon stayed tight to the left post and cleared the threat.
Yahr finished with two saves, including a point-blank stop of a corner-kick header midway through the first half. Longwood's Brandt Youmans made seven stops on GW's nine shots on goal. The Colonials held an 18-13 advantage in shots, 9-4 in shots on goal, while the Lancers owned a 10-5 edge in corner kicks.
Stadler has recorded at least one point in seven straight matches and paces the Atlantic 10 with 15 points on six goals and three assists. Stadler entered the match tied for eighth in the nation in points per game (1.86). Pedro now has a team-high five assists on the season, which ties the league lead.
GW, which is ranked No. 8 in this week's adidas/NSCAA Middle Atlantic Regional Top 10, has now played in seven consecutive one-goal matches following its season-opening 2-0 shutout versus American. The Colonials have posted a 4-3-0 mark during that span.
GW travels to Conway, SC, to face Big South Conference power Coastal Carolina Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
