RALEIGH, N.C. – A penalty kick goal in the 22nd minute by N.C. State's Roland Minogue doomed the William and Mary men's soccer team on Monday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. Minogue's tally was the only goal scored as the teams played through heavy rains throughout the match. With the loss the Tribe falls to 2-2, while the Wolfpack improves to 2-1-1.
“The weather defiantly played a part and effected us on the offensive third of the field, but it was still about as even played a match as it could be,” Head men's soccer coach Chris Norris said. “Unfortunately for us they made the most of the one defining moment of the match.”
The Tribe had the first chance moments into the match. Off of a corner kick, senior Josh West sent a ball to classmate Marcus Luster, who had his shot blocked. In the second minute, sophomore Reilly Maw fired a shot on target, but Wolfpack keeper Alex McCauley turned it away.
In the sixth minute, N.C. State's Ade Taiwo put the first shot on target for N.C. State. However, senior goalkeeper Bennett Jones was there for his first of four stops of the evening.
N.C. State was awarded a penalty kick in the 22nd minute after a player slipped behind the Tribe defense and brought down in the box for a foul. Minogue didn't let the chance go to waste and buried the penalty kick into the goal, giving the Wolfpack a 1-0 lead.
At the break, the Wolfpack still had a 1-0 lead. The Tribe did have a 4-3 advantage in shots, but N.C. State did hole a 2-1 advantage in shots on goal.
The Wolfpack had a couple of chances in the early stages of the second half. Reed Norton took the only shot that came on frame, but Jones was there for the stop.
W&M responded with a flurry of its own after the N.C. State attack. Senior Chris Albiston put a shot on frame, but McCauley turned it away. The rebound landed on the foot of junior Jackson Eskay, but McCauley was able to collect himself and make the stop on that shot as well. The two chances were the Tribe's best in the half.
Shots in the match were even at 9-9 at the end of regulation. N.C. State did fire one more shot on goal, 5-4. Jones recorded a season-high four saves for the Green and Gold. Jones' counterpart, McCauley, made four stops in his second shutout of the season. Maw led the Tribe with two shots, the only player with multiple shots, including one on frame.
W&M concludes its two-match road trip at St. Francis (Pa.) on Friday with a 4:00 p.m. matinee. The Tribe returns home for its NSCAATV match against nationally ranked North Carolina on Tuesday, Sept. 16. That match begins at 7 p.m.
