WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The No. 8-ranked William and Mary Tribe men's soccer team defeated the visiting Loyola (MD) Greyhounds on Saturday night, 1-0, at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.  With the win, the College improves its record to 2-1 on the year, while Loyola falls to 1-1 on the season.

Spearheading the Tribe's effort on Saturday was senior Nicolas Abrigo, who scored the lone goal of the match in the eighth minute.  Sophomore John Ciampa and freshman Josh West tallied assists, while senior goalie Colin Smolinsky recorded his first career shutout.

The nearly had a goal in the fifth minute off a great looking shot off the foot of West.  After beating his defender, West found himself in space from about 25 yards out.  The freshman fired a thunderous shot towards goal, just missing high of the crossbar and out of bounds.

Just moments later in the eighth minute, the College took the lead off a great bit of team passing.  On the attack along the right side of the pitch, West pushed the ball ahead to West.  With a Loyola defender on his hip, Ciampa found the pass and sent a great cross in to the 18-yard box.  The pass found Abrigo, who finished well with his head, beating the Greyhound keeper for the score.  Abrigo's team-leading third goal of the season gave the Green and Gold a 1-0 advantage.

The rest of the first half saw both teams get some looks, but the Tribe was able to maintain the bulk of possession.  With neither squad putting another goal on the board, the College held a 1-0 lead at the half.  In the first 45 minutes, the Tribe out-shot the Greyhounds, 7-6, getting two shots on goal to Loyola's 0.

The second half was more of the same, with the College controlling the majority of possession and neither team getting too many great looks for scores.  It wasn't until the last 10 minutes of the match when the offenses really had some good opportunities.

In the 85th minute, the Green and Gold took advantage of the Greyhounds sending men forward and had a great look at goal.  With the ball on the left side, sophomore Chris Perez dribbled right, beating his man.  Perez cracked a shot from 20 yards out with his right foot that hooked towards the far post, clanging off the woodwork and back in to play.  Abrigo was there for the deflection, but his attempt at goal was saved.

Despite throwing man after man on the attack, the Tribe's defense, led by Smolinsky, was fantastic.  Despite facing 11 shots, the Tribe's defense really didn't allow the Greyhounds to get many good looks, as LU did not get a shot on frame all night.   With the defense holding, the Tribe claimed a 1-0 win over Loyola.

With the victory over the Greyhounds on Saturday night, the Tribe pushes its overall record over LU to 15-9-4.  The College is now unbeaten in its last eight matches against Loyola, posting a record of 6-0-2.

The No. 8 William and Mary Tribe men's soccer team will return to action on Friday, September 9 when the College will face Monmouth in the first game of the ODU/Stihl Soccer Classic in Norfolk.  Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.