WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary men's soccer team hits the road for a two-match road swing starting Saturday, Oct. 10 at Northeastern. Kickoff for the match is set for 6 p.m.
TribeAthletics.com caught up with head coach Chris Norris to discuss the match against No. 23 Hofstra, weekly awards, and the match against Northeastern. The video feature is available through the above link or by clicking here.
Scouting the Tribe
W&M (4-4-2, 1-2-0 CAA) looks to get back in the win column and opens a two-game road trip at Northeastern on Saturday evening. The Tribe dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 double overtime decision against No. 23 Hofstra last Saturday night in Williamsburg. Freshman Antonio 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 and redshirt freshman Sam Onyeador have each played in goal this season. Phillips, who has played in every match owns a 1.60 goals-against average, recorded 27 saves, and has a shutout. Onyeador has played 80 minutes without surrendering a goal and making a pair of saves.
Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern (0-7-2, 0-3-0 CAA) looks to snap a five game losing skid and look for its first conference win as they host the Tribe. The Huskies fell at No. 13 Elon 2-1 in their last outing. Frantzdy Pierrot leads the team with three goals, one assist, and seven points. Khesanio Hall is second on the team with one goal, and two assists. Dylan Faber and Jonathan Thuresson have split time in goal this season. Farber has started three matches with a 2.08 goals-against-average, and nine saves. Thuresson has started six matches with 1.13 with 24 saves, and a shutout.
Series History
William & Mary will meet Northeastern for the 12th time in program history on Saturday night. The Tribe leads the all-time series 6-1-4. Last season, W&M picked up 1-0 victory in Boston. Junior Reilly Maw scored the game-winning goal in the match. It was also Chris Norris' 100th career victory.
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. The Tribe has played five matches against ranked opponents this season and owns a 1-3-1 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
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
Senior 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 Week
Freshman 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 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 three video features are available here.
What's Ahead
The Tribe concludes a two-game road trip at James Madison on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Kickoff for that match is schedule for 7 p.m. W&M returns home for a pair of matches starting on Saturday, Oct. 17 when they host UNCW. Kickoff for that match is also set for 7 p.m.
