HARRISONBURG, Va. - The
No. 18-ranked William and Mary Tribe women's soccer team extended its winning
streak to 10 matches on Friday night, defeating the James Madison Dukes on the
road, 3-1. With the win, the College
improves its record to 14-1-2 overall and to 9-0 in the CAA. With the loss, James Madison falls to 7-7-2
on the year with a mark of 4-4 in league action.
Freshman Emory Camper scored the match winner for the Tribe
on Friday, while senior Diana Weigel and junior Erin Liberatore also netted
goals in the victory. Tallying assists
on the night were junior Cortlyn Bristol and sophomore Dani Rutter who had two.
The Tribe's high-powered offense wasted little time taking
an early lead on the host Dukes, scoring the match's first goal just 11 minutes
in to the contest. With the ball in the
attacking third of the field, Bristol sent a cross to Liberatore on the right
side of the pitch. The junior beat her
defender and cracked a shot on goal from nine yards out, hitting the far
post. The ball ricocheted off the
woodwork and curled in for Liberatore's fifth goal of the season, giving the
Green and Gold a 1-0 lead.
After the Tribe took the lead, the Dukes responded with an
offensive flurry, taking the match's next five shots over the course of the next
24 minutes. Despite the onslaught, the
Tribe's defense and keeper Katherine Yount did not relent, maintaining the 1-0
lead.
Just before the halftime break, W&M struck for its
second goal. On the attack, Rutter sent
a pass in to the six-yard box in front of the JMU goalie. The ball found the foot of the rookie Camper,
who toe-poked the ball past the keeper for the score. Camper's seventh goal, on Rutter's
team-leading ninth assist, gave the Green and Gold a 2-0 lead at the half.
The Tribe's dominant first-half performance against JMU is
nothing different for the College this season.
In the opening 45 minutes, the College has out-scored its opponents a
combined 29-3.
For the majority of the second half, William and Mary was
able to maintain possession and keep the Dukes from having quality looks at the
goal. With just under seven minutes
left, the Tribe netted a third goal off a set piece. After a JMU foul, the College had a free kick
from 26 yards out in the middle of the pitch.
Weigel took the kick, blasting a shot with her left foot. The Madison goalie was able to get her hands
to it, but the shot got past her diving save for the score. Weigel's second goal of the year gave the
College a 3-0 advantage.
James Madison struck for a goal late in the match on a score
off the foot of Dan O'Brien, but it would be too little, too late as the College
would go on to defeat the Dukes, 3-1.
For the match, the College out shot JMU, 15-14, with the Tribe getting
nine shots on goal to just three for Madison.
Liberatore led the team with five shots, getting three on target.
With the win, the College extended its winning streak to 10
matches, the longest such streak since the Tribe won 10 in a row during the 1999
campaign. The nine CAA conference wins
for William and Mary are the most since 2007.
The No. 18 William and Mary Tribe women's soccer team will
next be in action on Sunday, October 23 when the College heads to Richmond to
play the VCU Rams. Kickoff is scheduled
for 1 p.m. and fans can follow along with live stats at TribeAthletics.com.
