WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William and Mary men's soccer team battled topped ranked North Carolina toe-to-toe, but couldn't overcome a pair of first half goals, as the No. 1 Tar Heels downed the Tribe 2-0 in front of a season-high crowd of 861 fans at Martin Family Stadium. With the decision the Tribe falls to 2-4-0, while UNC improves to 5-1-0.
W&M just missed on a chance to score the game's first goal two minutes into the match. Freshman William Eskay played the ball into the box, and found senior Chris Albiston. Albiston tried to put his foot on it, but it deflected off a North Carolina defender and out of play. On the ensuing corner kick, the Tar Heels were able to clear and avert any damage.
North Carolina scored the first goal of the game in the eighth minute. Off of a corner kick Omar Holness found the head of Andy Craven. Craven directed to the ball to the front of the goalkeeper, where Tyler Engle shot it into the left side of the goal. The tally lifted UNC to a 1-0 lead.
Following the goal, the Green and Gold mounted some pressure. Junior Jackson Eskay fired a pair of shots, including one on target. However, UNC's Brendan Moore was there for the stop.
The Tar Heels added an insurance marker in the 30th minute. Rob Lovejoy sent a pass into the box that found Craven. Craven made a great individual play and spun the ball into the left corner of the goal from the right side of the field. Craven's fourth goal of the season made the score 2-0.
UNC mounted pressure in the opening moments of the second stanza, taking the first five shots of the frame. Four of those came on target, but senior goalkeeper Bennett Jones was there for the stops on all four goals.
The Green and Gold had a couple of chances to cut into Carolina's lead in the second half, but were unable to solve Moore. In the 80th minute, William Eskay fired a shot and in the 83rd minute sophomore Reilly Maw put one on target. Both times Moore was there for the stop. He made three saves in his fourth straight shutout.
Jones recorded a season-high six stops in goal for the Green and Gold. North Carolina held a 19-7 advantage in shots, including an 8-3 mark in shots on goal. Maw and Jackson Eskay were tied for the team-high with two shots on the night.
The College hits the road again for a pair of matches, starting on Sunday, Sept. 21 when they take on No. 13 Georgetown. Kickoff from D.C. is set for 4 p.m. W&M concludes the road trip at nationally ranked UMBC on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.
