WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The
No. 24-ranked William and Mary Tribe women's soccer team extended its unbeaten
streak to seven matches on Friday night, defeating the visiting Drexel Dragons,
2-0, at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. With the win, the Tribe improves to 10-1-2
overall and to a perfect 5-0 in CAA conference play. With the loss, Drexel falls to 4-6-3 on the
year and to 2-2-1 in league action.
With the victory on Friday, William and Mary clinched its 31st-consectuive
winning season, extending its own NCAA record.
Also with the win, the College won its 10th match of the year, the
sixth-straight season W&M has won at least 10 games. Overall, the Tribe has posted 10 or more victories
in 27 of its 31 years as a program.
Junior Erin Liberatore scored the game-winning goal for the
Tribe, while sophomore Dani Rutter added another goal in the second half to
lead the way. Tallying assists on the
evening were junior Mallory Schaffer, junior Cortlyn Bristol, and freshman Anna Madden. Junior goalkeeper Katherine Yount made three saves on her way to posting her CAA-leading eighth shutout of
the season.
The Tribe got on the scoreboard first on a chilly Friday
night in Williamsburg, using great teamwork to net a terrific score. After a Drexel turnover, Schaffer took off
with the ball down the middle of the pitch.
Schaffer played a great pass to Madden along the left side, who
immediately sent a great pass towards the area.
The pass found an open Liberatore, who finished to her left from eight
yards out. Liberatore's fourth goal of
the season gave the College a 1-0 lead after 10 minutes played.
After 45 minutes, the score remained 1-0 in favor of the
Tribe. In the first half, the College
out shot the Dragons, 12-4. Despite
taking eight more shots, Drexel had three looks on goal to just one for William
and Mary.
The story of the match would be the Tribe's explosive
offensive attack that kept coming at the Drexel defense. After a barrage of shots and chances for the
Tribe in the first 30 minutes of the second frame, Rutter and Bristol teamed up
for a great goal in the 81st minute.
Following a Drexel turnover, Rutter collected the ball and
went darting down the middle of the field. Rutter passed to an open Bristol on the left
side, who then played a great ball right back to Rutter, putting her in
space. Rutter finished the chance well,
beating the Drexel keeper with a shot to the far post from six yards out on the
right side. Rutter's fourth goal of the
year gave the College its winning margin of 2-0 over the Dragons.
In defeating Drexel, 2-0, William and Mary set a pair of
impressive school marks. The Tribe's 34
shots are a single-game school record, as well as a Martin Family Stadium at
Albert-Daly Field record. For the match,
W&M out shot Drexel, 34-7, with the Tribe getting 10 shots on goal to three
for the Dragons.
With the victory, William and Mary has started the CAA
schedule with a 5-0 record for the fifth time in school history. The Tribe also extended its unbeaten streak
to seven and its winning streak to six with the 2-0 win over the Dragons on
Friday. Both streaks are the longest for
the College since the 2007 season when the Tribe had a six-game winning streak
and a eight-match unbeaten streak.
Freshman Aly Shaughnessy led the College with eight shots,
tying Schaffer's team high she set earlier this season against Princeton. Bristol and Rutter each had six looks at
goal, while Liberatore and Schaffer each took four. On the year, the Tribe has out shot its
opponents an amazing 245-117, out scoring them 36-8.
The No. 24-ranked William and Mary Tribe women's soccer team
will conclude the home portion of its regular season schedule on Sunday,
October 9, when the College will face Delaware at 3 p.m. Sunday's match will be Senior Day for William
and Mary, as the Tribe will honor its four graduating players - Molly Kaye,
Kristen Smith, Diana Weigel, and Katherine Yount. Fans can follow along with live stats and
live audio during the match at TribeAthletics.com.
