WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary men's soccer team concludes a two-game home stand when they welcome No. 23 Hofstra to Williamsburg on Saturday, Oct. 3. The match will now be played at Wanner Stadium at the Warhill Sports Complex. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The match will also serve as the seventh annual Crapolfest. Admission for tomorrow's match is free to the public.
Due the change in venue, TribeAthletics.TV will not be able to stream the match. However, live stats will be available by clicking here, or through the below link.
TribeAthletics.com caught up with head coach Chris Norris to discuss the match win against Elon, Crapolfest, and the match against Hofstra. The video feature is available through the above link or by clicking here.
Scouting the Tribe
W&M (4-3-2, 1-1-0 CAA) looks to move its winning streak to two games as they welcome their second straight ranked opponent to Williamsburg on Saturday night. The Tribe dropped No. 10 Elon 4-1 on Wednesday night. Senior Jackson Eskay scored a pair of goals, while freshman Antonio Bustamante and senior Ryan Flesch added markers as well. Freshman Marcel Berry also added three assists during the match. Bustamante leads the team with 11 points on five goals, and one assist, while sophomore William Eskay is second on the team with four goals, two assists, and 10 points. Freshman Ryder Bell has scored four times for eight points. Redshirt junior Mac Phillips has played all 875-plus minutes this season for the Green and Gold. He has posted a 1.54 goals-against average, recorded 26 saves, and has a shutout.
Scouting the Pride
No. 23 Hofstra (7-2-0, 2-0-0 CAA) is also looking to move its winning streak to a pair of games as they travel to Williamsburg on Saturday night. The Pride picked up a 5-1 victory over Drexel as they moved their conference record to 2-0 on Wednesday night. Joseph Holland (five goals, four assists) and Meshack Eshun Addy (six goals, two assist) lead the team with 14 points apiece. The next closest player is Mani Walcott, who has just four points on a goal and two assists. Patric Pray has played every minute in goal this season. He owns a 1.00 goals-against-average, with 38 saves, and has three shutouts.
Series History
William & Mary will meet Hofstra for the 18th time in series history on Saturday night. The Tribe leads the all-time series 9-5-3, but the Pride picked up a 3-0 victory in the meeting last year. The last time the two teams met in Williamsburg was in the 2013 CAA Quarterfinals as the Tribe picked up a 1-0 victory. Chris Albiston recorded the only goal, while Reilly Maw had an assist, and Mac Phillips recorded a shutout.
Crapolfest Returns This Weekend
Saturday's match will be the culmination of the seventh annual Crapolfest. The weekend's events also include a 5K run, a one-mile fun run/walk, a golf outing at Golden Horseshoe, and a mini golf event, with all the proceeds benefiting the Andrew E. Crapol Soccer Scholarship Fund. For more information on the event, and Andy Crapol, please, visit AndyCrapol.com.
Beating Ranked Opponents
The 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. Saturday's match against No. 23 Hofstra will be the fifth time this season the Green and Gold has played a top 25 team. So far this season, the Tribe has a 1-2-1 record against ranked opponents.
Golden Goal
Freshman 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' Overtime
The Tribe has seen four of its nine matches this season go to overtime. The Tribe has posted a 2-0-2 record in overtime matches this season with a win over Longwood and ties against No. 4 North Carolina and Charlotte. Bryant leads the country with five overtime matches. This is only the second time in school history the Tribe has won back-to-back double overtime affairs. The last time came in 2013 when the Tribe knocked off No. 1 Creighton and No. 24 Elon in consecutive games.
Road Warriors
The Tribe just concluded a stretch of three straight road games, which is the longest road swing of the season. To start the year, W&M has 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 2-3-1 record on the road.
Weekly Awards
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.
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 Marker
Freshman 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. He leads the team with three assist this season.
Preseason Praise
Senior 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 Schedule
Once 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 Affair
W&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 Years
This 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 and second video feature are available here.
What's Ahead
After a seven day layoff, W&M hits the road for the a pair of matches. The Tribe travels to Northeastern (Oct. 10), before heading to James Madison (Oct. 14). The Green and Gold returns home to take on UNCW on Saturday, Oct. 17.
