George Washington University Athletics
George Washington University
Duke
Men’s Soccer Set for Top-10 Matchup
9/24/2018 11:43:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Colonials travel to No. 9 Duke on Tuesday
Dylan LightbournSr. | 6-3 | F
Nassau, Bahamas
Lightbourn jumpstarted GW's comeback against Binghamton last Tuesday, heading in a long throw-in from Joshua Yurasits for his second goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 69th minute. The senior forward has totaled 10 goals and 24 points for his career.
The Colonials (4-3) have won back-to-back games, entering the contest against the Blue Devils (4-2), which is set for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Koskinen Stadium.
LAST TIME OUT: GW has had a week off since its thrilling 3-2 overtime win over Binghamton. After allowing two goals in the opening nine minutes, the Colonials tied it with a pair of second-half scores and won it on Oscar Haynes Brown's golden goal 70 seconds into extra time.
Dylan Lightbourn and Marcelo Lage found the net in regulation for GW before Haynes Brown scored his team and A-10 leading eighth goal of the season.
MARQUEE MATCHUP: GW is seeking its first win over a top-10 foe since beating No. 1 Indiana, 1-0, on Oct. 1, 1988. The Colonials are 1-3 all-time in such games, including a 4-0 loss to then-No. 6 Duke during the 2010 season.
Last season, GW fell to No. 7 North Carolina, 4-1, in a midweek road contest, highlighted by Koby Osei-Wusu's goal from midfield off a restart that earned a place in the national record book. The tremendous strike came four seconds after North Carolina's Alan Winn scored, a sequence that ranks No. 2 on the NCAA's all-time list of fastest consecutive goals by opposing teams.
GW's last win against a ranked opponent came when it defeated No. 22 Navy, 2-1, in double overtime on Sept. 16, 2014.
IMPROVED ATTACK: With 14 goals through seven games, GW ranks third in the A-10 and 28th nationally in scoring offense. The Colonials are averaging 2.00 goals per game, up from 1.39 last season. They've also improved their shots (12.3 vs. 10.0) and shots on goal (5.9 vs. 4.7) per game and shooting percentage (16.3 percent vs. 13.9) from 2017.
GW netted six goals in its win over American on Aug. 27, its most goals in a game in seven seasons under head coach Craig Jones. The 6-0 win was also its largest margin of victory since the 2009 season.
SCOUTING DUKE: Duke has lost two of its last three games after a 3-0 start that saw it rise as high as No. 2 in the national rankings. Last week, the Blue Devils fell, 1-0, to Georgetown on Tuesday before bouncing back with a 3-2 win over Boston College on Friday.
Daniele Proch leads the squad with six goals, including the game-winner against Boston College. Ian Murphy and Kevin Feucht have two goals apiece.
COMING UP: GW returns to North Carolina on Saturday for its A-10 opener at Davidson. The Colonials and Wildcats are set for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
