PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The No. 21 William and Mary men's soccer team used its biggest offensive outburst since the 2009 season, beating UNCW, 6-3, in the Colonial Athletic Association Semifinals on Thursday afternoon. The victory advances the Tribe to the CAA Championship on Saturday, Nov. 16.
"We are pleased and relieved to be moving onto the final on Saturday," said 10th-year head coach Chris Norris. "UNCW is a very good team and they pushed us all the way to the end of the match. While we were not solid defensively tonight, we were very clinical with our chances."
William and Mary improves to 11-4-2 on the season, while the Seahawks fall to 9-6-2 overall. The 11 wins are the most for the Green and Gold since the 2010 season.
The Tribe made the most of its first run of the game. Redshirt senior Chris Perez sent a ball into the box that was cleared right back to him. On his second attempt he sent a ball into the box that found freshman Reilly Maw, who headed into the right corner of the goal. The tally, which was the first of Maw's career gave the Tribe a 1-0 lead.
UNCW responded with a goal in the 11th minute. Mateo Cardona collected a loose ball in front of the goal. After he faked a shot, he placed the ball into the lower right corner of the net, tying the game at 1-1.
The Tribe, again, took the lead in the 23rd minute. Perez sent a through ball to sophomore Jackson Eskay. Eskay, who chested the ball to bring it down, scored into the right corner of the net. The tally was the sixth of the season for Eskay gave W&M a 2-1 lead.
Just three minutes into the second half, Eskay found the back of the goal for the second time on the afternoon. Maw sent a pass over a UNCW defender's head that found Eskay. Eskay, who was wide open, tapped it in from the right side.
After a foul, the Seahawks were awarded a free kick from just outside of the box. From 18 yards out, Mateo curled the ball into the right corner of the goal for the score. The goal, which was Mateo's second of the night made the score, 3-2.
William and Mary took a two-goal lead for the second time in the match in the 59th minute. Perez, who found himself open, fired a shot from 20 yards out into the upper right corner of the goal. The goal, which was the fourth of the season for Perez gave the Tribe a 4-2 lead.
The two-goal lead was short lived, as UNCW answered in the 60th minute. Jamie Dell took the touch from the top of the circle., but his shot deflected off of a Tribe defender into the goal, cutting William and Mary's lead to 4-3.
W&M added its fifth goal of the night in the 78th minute of the match. Junior Marcus Luster collected a loose ball on the endline and drove the box. Luster then sent a quick pass to junior Chris Albiston, who tapped into the wide open goal. The tally, which was the fifth of the season for Albiston gave the Tribe a 5-3 lead.
The Tribe scored its six goal of the night when senior Ben Coffey found a loose ball inside of the box. Coffey uncorked a shot across the box into the left goal. The tally, which was the first of the season for Coffey, gave W&M a 6-3 advantage.
William and Mary's six-goal outburst was the most since 2009 when the Tribe beat the University of Richmond, 7-0. The goal total was also the most goals scored in the CAA Tournament since 2001, when the Green and Gold beat UNCW, 6-0.
For the match, the Tribe outshot UNCW 11-9, including a 7-4 advantage on shots on goal. Perez finished the match with four points on a goal and two assists, while Eskay, who scored two goals, also had for points.
The College, which advances to the CAA Championship for the first time since to 2010 season, awaits the winner of the second semifinal between Delaware and host Drexel. The match, which kicks off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, will be played in Philadelphia.
