ELON, N.C. – Senior Roshan Patel's header goal in the 108th minute lifted the William and Mary men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over No. 24 Elon on Friday night.
The win, improves the Tribe to 3-2-1 on the season, while the loss, which was the first of the season for Elon, drops the Phoenix to 5-1-1.
“Again I thought it was great for us to go out on the road and put in a good performance,” said head coach Chris Norris. “The first half was kind of a slow, battle for possession, but in the second half and overtime I thought we did a good job of expanding the field and creating chances. It was a good college soccer game, and Elon is a really good team. The victory tonight was a big one for us.”
In the first half, both teams played a midfield battle for possession. At the break, the score was tied 0-0, with both teams taking a pair of shots.
Elon opened the second stanza with a pair of quick shots. In the 46th minute Caue De Silva took a shot, but it sailed wide. Charles Howard followed with a shot on target in the 47th minute, but redshirt freshman goalkeeper Mac Phillips was there for the save.
William and Mary's first shot on frame came in the 52nd minute. Junior Chris Albiston drove the box and fired, but Elon keeper Nathan Dean came up with the save. The Green and Gold also had a pair of chances in the 62nd and 63rd minutes. The first came on a shot from Albiston and then moments later senior Chris Perez fired a shot, but both were stopped by Dean.
In the 66th minute it looked for a moment that the Tribe had taken the lead. Albiston launched a shot, but it dinged off of the post and out of play. W&M also had a pair of chances in the 75th and 79th minutes. Patel fired first, followed by freshman Reilly Maw, but Dean saved both.
At the end of regulation the match remained scoreless. William and Mary did hold a slight 10-9 advantage in shots, including a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal.
In the first overtime both teams had chances. Elon's came first in the 95th minute when Myles Mansfield fired a shot, but it sailed high. The Tribe had a pair of shots in the period with one coming on frame. Sophomore Jackson Eskay put a ball on frame, but again Dean came up with the stop. The final shot of the first overtime came from junior Marcus Luster, but it was blocked.
William and Mary controlled the second overtime period, firing two shots before the eventual game-winner. Eskay put two more shots on frame in the 104th and 107th minutes, respectively, but Dean was there on both occasions.
The College found the winner in the 108th minute. Off of a free kick, Perez sent a short pass to Albiston. Albiston controlled the pass and sent a cross into the box. Patel was able to get his head on it, directing into the net for the game-winner. The tally was the first on the year for Patel.
Phillips, who was in net for the Green and Gold, earned his third shutout of his career. The Rocky Mount, Va. native turned away all three shots that came on frame.
With the win, William and Mary knocked off back-to-back ranked opponents for the time since at least 2002. It is also the first time in school history that the Tribe has played in four consecutive matches that have gone to double overtime, and the first time in school history the College has won back-to-back double overtime matches.
The Green and Gold continue their season-long five-match road trip on Tuesday, Sept. 24 against nationally ranked North Carolina at 7 p.m. It will be the first time since at least 2001 that W&M has played three consecutive ranked opponents.
