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The Hampden-Sydney College (H-SC) soccer team pushed its regular season unbeaten streak to 19 games, extending back to last season, with a 3-1 win over Eastern Mennonite University on Sunday evening, March 28, from Hellmuth-Gibson Field.

The Tigers are 7-0 overall for the spring season and 7-0 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) after closing out their 2019 regular season campaign with an overall 11-0-1 run. The Royals fall to 0-8-1 and 0-7-1 in the ODAC.

Prior to the start of the match, the Tigers honored their seven seniors for their dedication to the soccer team. The seniors include Gray Sutter, Doug Hogan, Nolan Poretz, P.J. LeBel, Connor Shaw, Matt Rehder and Jack Sweney.

Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first half of the game despite the Tigers taking eight shots in the half to the Royals’ four. Play went back and forth with only four fouls. Both teams took halftime to regroup as they aimed to push for a win.

It was the Tigers who struck early in the 59th minute when freshman John Alexander took a pass from classmate Emory Davis and right-footed it past the goalie to give the Tigers the 1-0 lead. Eastern Mennonite responded in the 76th minute off a deflection off of Sutter, evening the game up at a goal apiece.

Sophomore Kade Wheeler scored what would be the game-winning goal just five minutes later. Freshman Declan Shaw found a leaping Wheeler inside the box for the goal at 80:24. With just more than five minutes left in the game, Declan Shaw scored his own goal, unassisted, to put the game out of reach of the Royals.

Sutter played all 90 minutes in goal for the Tigers, making three saves. H-SC led Eastern Mennonite in shots, 18-8, and corner kicks, 8-3.