WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William & Mary men's soccer team returns to Williamsburg and hosts UNCW on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
TribeAthletics.com caught up with head coach
Chris Norris to discuss the match at James Madison,
Ryder Bell's start, and the match against UNCW. The video is available through above, or by clicking here.
Scouting the TribeW&M (4-6-2, 1-4-0 CAA) returns to home for a pair of matches as they look to snap a losing streak when they host UNCW on Saturday night in Williamsburg. The Tribe dropped a 3-1 decision at James Madison on Wednesday night. Freshman
Ryder Bell scored the Tribe's lone goal in the match. Â Freshman
Antonio Bustamante (five goals, one assist) and sophomore
William Eskay (four goals, three assists) lead the team with 11 points. Freshman
Ryder Bell is just off of the pace and has scored five times for 10 points. Redshirt junior
Mac Phillips and redshirt freshman
Sam Onyeador have each played in goal this season. Phillips owns a 1.72 goals-against average, recorded 27 saves, and has a shutout. Onyeador, who has started the last three matches, owns a 1.26 goals-against-average and six saves.
Scouting the Seahawks UNCW (7-3-2, 2-2-1 CAA) is receiving votes in the NSCAA Top 25, will look to get back into the win column on Saturday night as they travel to Williamsburg. The Seahawks dropped a 2-1 match to league rival Elon on Wednesday. Colin Bonner leads UNCW with seven goals, five assists, and 19 points. Ben Fisher has six goals, four assists, and 16 points, while Daniel Escobar has scored double figure points with four goals, three assists, and 11 points. Sam Williams and Sean Melvin have each seen time in goal this season. Melvin has started all 12 matches with a 1.01 goals-against-average, 28 saves, and four shutouts. Williams has played in four games with a save. Williams and Melvin have also combined for a shutout.
Series HistoryWilliam & Mary and UNCW meet for the 43rd time in program history on Friday night. The Tribe leads the all-time series by a 34-4-4 mark, but UNCW has won two of the last three meetings. Last year, the Seahawks picked up a 1-0 victory in double-overtime at Martin Family Stadium.
Beating Ranked OpponentsThe Tribe knocked off No. 10 Elon on Sept. 30, which was the first time since the Tribe had knocked off a ranked opponent since the Sept. 24, 2013. That night, the Tribe topped No. 1 North Carolina 1-0 in Chapel Hill. The Tribe has played five matches against ranked opponents this season and owns a 1-3-1 record against ranked opponents.
Golden GoalFreshman
Antonio Bustamante scored his first career golden goal in the 103rd minute against Navy on Tuesday night. He sent home a feed from William and
Jackson Eskay to send the Tribe home a winner. Sophomore
William Eskay sent the Tribe home with a victory at Longwood Sept. 19 night with his goal in the 104th minute on Tuesday night. It was the second time
William Eskay scored a golden goal. Last year he scored in the 100th minute, as the Tribe topped College of Charleston on Oct. 15.
Workin' OvertimeThe Tribe has seen five of its 12 matches this season go to overtime. The Tribe has posted a 2-1-2 record in overtime matches this season with a wins over Longwood and Navy and ties against No. 4 North Carolina and Charlotte. Earlier this year, the Tribe won back-to-back double overtime games for the second time in school history. The first time came in 2013 when the Tribe knocked off No. 1 Creighton and No. 24 Elon in consecutive games.
Road Warriors To start the year, W&M played six of its first eight matches on the road. The Green and Gold will play a total of 10 of its 17 matches away from Williamsburg. So far the College owns a 2-5-1 record on the road.
Weekly AwardsSenior
Jackson Eskay was named CAA Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 5 following a two-goal performance against No. 10 Elon. The senior scored the game-winning goal in the 22nd minute, before scoring in the 80th minute. In the second game of the week, he fired two shots with one on goal. Sophomore
William Eskay and freshman
Ryder Bell were honored as the CAA Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, for the week of Sept 7.
William Eskay scored three goals and added an assist for the Tribe over the 1-0-1 week, while Bell scored a pair of goals, including the Tribe's lone goal at No. 4 North Carolina.
Stud of the WeekFreshman
Marcel Berry had three assists in the Tribe's victory over No. 10 Elon. The three points were the first of his collegiate career. For his effort he was named a Hero Sports Stud of the Week.
Tip of the Cap Sophomore
William Eskay netted his first career hat trick in the Tribe's 4-2 victory over Liberty on Sept. 1 It was the first time since the 2010 season that a W&M player recorded a hat trick. On Nov. 14, 2010 Nicholas Arbigo scored three times in the CAA Championship match against Hofstra.
First Career MarkerFreshman
Ryder Bell recorded his first career goal in the match against Liberty, which proved to be the game-winner. The freshman added his second goal against No. 4 North Carolina, and is second on the team with four points.
Helping Foot Freshman
Marcel Berry recorded three assists in the match on Wednesday night against Elon. It was the second time this season a Tribe player recorded three assists in a match. Berry's first assist on
Jackson Eskay's first half goal was his first collegiate point. Earlier in the year, junior
Reilly Maw recorded three assists in the match against Liberty. All three of his assists came on the goals scored by
William Eskay. Both players lead the team with three assists this season.
Preseason PraiseSenior
Jackson Eskay and younger brother sophomore
William Eskay were named to the CAA Preseason Honorable Mention team.
William Eskay is the Tribe's returning leading scorer from last year, while
Jackson Eskay led the team in scoring in 2013.
Strength of ScheduleOnce again, W&M has a loaded schedule. The Tribe plays six teams that qualified for the NCAA College Cup last season, and six teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the NSCAA Preseason Poll.
Family AffairW&M's attack features brothers senior
Jackson Eskay and sophomore
William Eskay. However, the Tribe family tradition doesn't stop there, as their parents and grandfather were all W&M student-athletes. (Dad, Bo, played soccer, mom, Jackie, track & field, and grandfather, Bob, basketball.)
Celebrating 50 YearsThis season is the 50th anniversary of the Tribe men's soccer program. During that time the Tribe has appeared in 15 NCAA Tournaments and seven CAA Championships. W&M's first varsity season was in 1966. The first four video features are available
here.
What's AheadThe Tribe concludes its two-match home stand on Wednesday, Oct. 20 against UNC Asheville. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The Green and Gold then open its final two-match road swing, starting at Drexel on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff for that match is set for 4 p.m.
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