LORETTO, Pa. – The William and Mary men's soccer team dropped a 1-0 road decision at St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday afternoon. Brendan McGhee's 10th minute goal was the only tally of the match. With the loss, the Tribe falls to 2-3, while the Red Flash moves to 3-2.
“We have to give a lot of credit to St. Francis, they show us what college soccer is all about today,” head coach Chris Norris said after the match. “For us it was a very disappointing performance. I thought our mentality wasn't right from the beginning, and that blame has to fall on me. We made some changes in the second half, but were unable to find the equalizer.”
W&M once again opened a match with the first shot. Sophomore Reilly Maw pushed a shot toward the frame, but it was blocked. The Green and Gold has fired the first shot in all five of its matches this season, with Maw taking the first shot in four of the five games.
St. Francis took an early lead with a goal in the 10th minute of the match. Mitch Kavlick sent a cross from the far right post. The feed found McGhee, who scored the only goal of the day. The tally lifted the Red Flash to a 1-0 lead.
SFU continued to mount its pressure as Bryan Causey fired a shot on target in the 12th minute that senior Bennett Jones turned away. Shaun Russel unleashed a shot that went high and McGhee put a shot on frame, but again Jones was up to the task, ending the rally.
In the 13th minute, the Tribe had a chance to level the score. A ball found the foot of freshman William Eskay, who fired a shot on frame. However, SFU's goalkeeper Andrew Garcia was there for the stop. It was the only shot on frame for the Green and Gold.
The Tribe's best chances came at the end of the first half of play. Senior Chris Albiston pushed a shot just high of the cage in the 44th minute. Junior Jackson Eskay had a shot blocked out of bounds. With just 10 seconds left in the half, the Tribe couldn't take advantage of the ensuing corner kick.
The second half was filled with crosses and scrambles for the ball in the box, but neither team attempted an official shot. SFU finished the game with a 9-4 advantage in shots, including a 4-1 advantage in shots on goal. Jones finished the match with three saves for the Green and Gold.
The College returns home for just one match as they welcome nationally ranked North Carolina to Martin Family Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The match which, will air nationally on NSCAATV, will start at 7 p.m.
