LEXINGTON, VA. – Two goals in the second half pushed the George Washington Colonials past the Liberty Flames, 2-0, Sunday afternoon at the Sculley Memorial Tournament.
      With the setback, Liberty drops to 1-3 on the season.  George Washington evens their record at 2-2.
      The contest started with each team having a shot attempt.  The Flames worked an attempt off the opening kickoff. Midfielder Juan Nino ripped a shot from the top of the 18-yard box during the first minute of play, wide right.  The Colonials’ attempt came off a free kick from 20 yards out, which Liberty goalkeeper Sam Chappell stopped near the right post during the fourth minute.
      In the ninth minute, midfielder Tim Harbison sent a shot towards the left corner of the goal off a corner kick, which George Washington goalkeeper J.P. van der Merwe dove and deflected away.
      With play settling mainly in the midfield, Liberty midfielder Sachem Wilson pounced on a ball off a Colonial defender and ripped a shot from the top of box wide to the right during the 30^th minute.
      In the scoreless first half, Liberty outshot George Washington, 5-2, and led in corner kicks, 1-0.
      The second half opened with Flames forward Austin Wyman moving into space on the left side of the penalty area for a shot during the 47^th minute.  However, Colonial keeper van der Merwe saw the attempt off Wyman’s foot and easily corralled it for a save.
      In transition, Wyman again got a scoring opportunity during the 54^th minute. Midfielder Juan Nino push a pass onto the forward foot on the left side of the box, which van der Merwe batted away and was cleared by the George Washington defense.
      At 59:04, the Colonials netted the contest’s first goal.  In transition, midfielder Ross Higgins sent a long crossing pass to the back post, which forward Seth Rudolph headed in for his first goal of the year and a 1-0 George Washington lead.
      Five minutes later, Rudolph added to his team’s lead.  Off a free kick from 20 yards out, the forward tucked the kick into the far right corner of the net for his second goal of the game and a 2-0 edge.
      Pushing players forward, Liberty put pressure on the Colonial defense only to turned away during the 69^th minute. A shot by Flames defender Greg White was blocked down by van der Merwe.  The rebound slid to Wyman, who sent an attempt towards the far post, which a George Washington defender cleared off the goal line, preventing Liberty from cutting into its deficit.
      Liberty continued to press the Colonial defense, working White into the space for a shot from the top of the box during the 84^th minute.  The Flames defender’s shot sailed high.
      In the 89^th minute, midfielder Tyler Bullock lifted a shot, which was saved by van der Merwe, sealing the 2-0 Colonial win.
      Liberty outshot George Washington, 12-5.  The Flames also held the advantage in corner kicks, 5-1.
      Chappell made one save for Liberty, while van der Merwe recorded six saves for George Washington.
      Flames midfielder Johnny Torres, defender Uriah Bentick and White were named to the all-tournament team.
      Liberty next travels to Washington, D.C., for a contest with the Howard Bison.  Match time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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