WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary Tribe men's soccer team dropped a hard fought match to No. 20-ranked James Madison, 1-0, at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field on Wednesday night.  With the loss, the Tribe falls to 8-6 overall and to 5-3 in the CAA, while the Dukes improve to 10-2-1 on the year and to 6-1 in league action.

Playing on a drenched pitch, the Tribe looked the better side in the first 15 minutes, dominating possession and getting some nice chances.  Early on, senior Nicolas Abrigo had two nice looks, but was unable to connect.

In the 38th minute, the Tribe had its best chance to get on the board in the first half, but were denied by a tremendous save.  On the attack, freshman Chris Albiston sent a cross in to the box.  The great pass found Abrigo, who delivered with a great header from 12 yards out.  Abrigo's shot appeared destined for the back of the net, but the JMU keeper made a diving, one-handed save to his right to keep the match scoreless.

After a balanced, back-and-forth first 45 minutes, the teams headed in to their locker rooms with the match still tied, 0-0.  William and Mary took 10 shots in the first frame to seven for JMU, while the Dukes had two shots on target to one for the College.

Just a little under 15 minutes after the break, the opportunistic Dukes' offense would strike.  After a free kick by Madison sent the ball in to the box, a flurry of shots came at the Tribe after they were unable to successfully clear the ball.  After a pair of shots, JMU's Boyd Reid collected his own rebound and banged in a goal from three yards on the right side.  Reid's goal gave the Dukes a 1-0 lead with 30 minutes left in regulation.

The Tribe's offensive attack picked up after conceding the score but was unable to convert on some nice opportunities for goals.  The best of the Tribe's looks in the second half came in the 85th minute.  Holding possession in the Dukes' half, freshman Josh West sent a cross in to the box from the left side.  The ball found the head of classmate Patrick O'Brien, who had found space from 10 yards out.  Despite the good look, O'Brien was unable to get the ball on frame and his header went wide left of the post and out of play.

Over the last five minutes, the College was unable to find an equalizer, dropping a 1-0 decision to the No. 20 Dukes.  For the match, the Tribe out shot JMU, 18-16, with Madison getting five shots on goal to three for the Green and Gold. 

Leading the way for the Tribe offensively was Abrigo, who had a team-high five shots, getting the one header on frame.  O'Brien and sophomore John Ciampa each had three shots.

The William and Mary Tribe men's soccer team will hit the road this weekend and head north to play the Delaware Blue Hens in a critical, CAA match.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 22.  Fans can follow along during the match with live stats, available at TribeAthletics.com.