SPORTS
Men’s Soccer Completes Comeback on Dudek’s Golden Goal
Quinn Dudeck maneuvers past a GW defender just before scoring the winning goal in overtime.
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson scored twice in the closing minutes of regulation, followed by a golden goal from Quinn Dudek in the 98th, to rally past George Washington, 3-2, in both teams’ Atlantic 10 men’s soccer opener Saturday evening at Alumni Stadium.
The Wildcats, who held a commanding 21-11 advantage in shots and 12-2 margin in corner kicks, improve to 5-4-0 overall.
Dudek’s sliding game-winner 7:15 into overtime came off a cross from Jaylen Thompson to move Davidson to 3-0 in overtime games this season
Trailing 2-0 with 5:38 to play, Thompson made it a one-goal game when he put away a loose ball following a George Washington (4-4-1, 0-1-0) team save on a Henry Howell corner kick.
Just over four minutes later, Howell curled a Charlie Caswell pass through the Colonial backline, inside the far post, to tie the score and force overtime.
The Wildcats pile on top of Quinn Dudek after he scored the winning goal in the overtime win vs. George Washington.
After just two shot attempts in the first half, George Washington broke open the scoreless contest with strikes from Peirce Williams and Oscar Haynes Brown in the 58th and 59th minutes, respectively.
Williams’ header and first goal of 2018 came off a corner, while Brown scored his league-leading ninth on a blast from outside the 18-yard box.
Davidson was unable to capitalize on a number of scoring chances in the first 45 minutes. Jamie DiLuzio and Thompson contributed to the 10-2 shot margin with great looks that were hit right at the Colonial keeper.
The Wildcats’ Sawyer Gaffney led both goalkeepers with five saves, including a one v. one stop on the A-10’s top offensive threat early in the extra session.
Up Next
Davidson will enjoy a week break before returning to the pitch and continuing conference play at Dayton Oct. 6.
Postgame Comments from Head Coach Matt Spear
Wow, it’s 30 minutes after the final whistle and I am still smiling and buzzing!
A huge comeback – I don’t recall a Davidson team clawing back so late. It’s a strong testament to this team’s determination and poise.
The first half we did do much right; but couldn’t score. Not converting at least one of those chances gave hope to a good GW squad.
Their back-to-back goals were top quality – kudos to them.
But our team kept pushing to create more chances. We left it late for the benefit of the fans!
In Conference play, it takes a little extra and our final 10 minutes were extraordinary.
Sawyer made a massive save in overtime to extend the game, then Jaylen and Quinn linked up for the game winner.
Coach Phil Kroft has been a wonderful addition this season, especially with all of the research and scouting reports he puts in regarding our opponents. So once again he prepared the coaching staff and as a result the team for what the opponent does.
Quinn puts a ton of effort into the match such as chasing down through balls, winning the ball in the air, and withstanding a lot of physical contact against big center backs. So it’s a huge compliment for his work ethic to get the golden goal.