WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The
William and Mary Tribe women's soccer team started the CAA portion of its
schedule with a bang on Friday night, defeating the visiting Towson Tigers,
5-0. With the win, the College improves
its record to 6-1-2 overall and to 1-0 in conference play while Towson falls to
5-4 on the year and to 0-1 in league play.
Due to heavy rain in the Williamsburg area, the match was played at the
Warhill Sports Complex.
Of the numerous offensive standouts for the Tribe on the
night, sophomore Dani Rutter was the star, scoring the game-winning goal to go
along with a staggering three assists.
Junior Mallory Schaffer scored a pair of goals on the night, while
classmate Erin Liberatore and freshman Emory Camper also netted scores for
W&M. Freshman Anna Madden had a pair
of assists, while junior Cortlyn Bristol also tallied a helper. Junior goalkeeper Katherine Yount made four saves
in recording her fifth shutout of the season.
The Tribe notched its first goal of the match in the fifth
minute, when Bristol collected a failed Towson clearance of a corner kick. From the right side, Bristol sent the ball
across the face of the goal, connecting with Rutter who finished well from six
yards out, beating the Tigers' keeper for the first score of the match.
In the 25th minute, a pair of the Tribe's fantastic freshman
teamed up for a nice goal, padding the College's lead. On the attack, Madden was streaking down the right
side when she sent a cross to the left. The
Towson goalie was unable to get to the great pass, opening the net for Camper
who found the net with a nice shot from eight yards. Camper's sixth goal of the season gave the Tribe
a 2-0 advantage.
Just over 15 minutes later, the Tribe used some clever
passing to score the match's third goal.
Darting down the right side of the pitch, Madden sent a pass to Rutter
at the top-right corner of the 18-yard box.
Madden one-touched a pass brilliantly to Liberatore on the left side,
who blasted a shot past the Towson keeper for her second goal of the season.
In the 42nd minute, Schaffer and Rutter connected on another
score for William and Mary. After taking
possession of the ball near midfield, Rutter found Schaffer along the right
side of the field. Schaffer was able to
beat her defender and find space from the right corner of the 18-yard box,
firing a shot on goal that beat the Towson keeper to the far post for the
score.
With the score 4-0 in favor of the Tribe at the half, the
stats after the first 45 minutes reflected just how dominant the College had
been. W&M out shot the Dragons,
11-2, with the Tribe getting six of those shots on goal to just two for
Towson. Corner kicks were 5-0 in favor
of the College.
The fifth and final score of the match came in the 68th
minute, with Schaffer and Rutter once again teaming up for a great goal. After dispossessing a Towson midfielder,
Rutter sent a nice looking through ball to a streaking Schaffer along the right
side. Taking a shot from 12 yards out,
Schaffer cleverly beat the Tigers' goalie to the near post, giving the Tribe
its final winning margin of 5-0.
Schaffer's two goals on the night give her six on the season, while
Rutter now leads the CAA with seven assists on the year.
The 5-0 win was the second of the season for the Tribe, as
it opened the year with a five-goal victory over St. John's. The shutout was the fifth of the season for
the Tribe in just nine matches. In the games
that W&M has shutout its opponent, the College has outscored opponents,
18-0.
The William and Mary Tribe women's soccer team will return
to action on Sunday, September 25 when the College will host CAA rival George
Mason. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.
at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.
