NORFOLK, Va. – The William & Mary men's soccer team battled in-state rival No. 24 Old Dominion to a 2-2 tie in an exhibition match in Norfolk, Virginia on Monday night. Sophomore William Eskay scored the Tribe's first goal, while the team took advantage of an own goal for the second tally.
“Overall we are pleased with the performance tonight,” W&M head coach Chris Norris said. “We got an opportunity to see a lot of players against good opposition. While we made some mistakes and are disappointed to have conceded twice, there were many positives to take away from the match.”
W&M opened the match with a pair of early chances. The first came in the eighth minute when senior Jackson Eskay put a shot on frame that was saved by ODU goalkeeper Alex Tiesenhausen. The Tribe then had a corner kick in the 18th and a couple of chances at a shot, but the Monarch defense held strong.
ODU's first strong look came in the 12th minute. On a counter attack, Cole Stringer had space and fired a shot that sailed high.
The Tribe jumped on the board with a goal in the 25th minute. Redshirt junior Jeff Bombelles sent a cross from the left side of the pitch to the middle of the box. Waiting was William Eskay, who headed the ball home. The tally gave the Tribe an early 1-0 lead.
W&M continued its pressure after the goal. Just a minute later, freshman Antonio Bustamante had a break away and fired a shot on target that was saved by Tiesenhausen.
The Green and Gold doubled its lead with a goal in the 59th minute. Off of a corner kick, sent in by senior Ryan Flesch, a scrum allowed for an own goal, lifting W&M to a 2-0 advantage.
ODU started its comeback with a goal on the counter attack in the 66th minute. Jesse Miralrio sent a through ball to Ivan Militar. Militar controlled it and fired into the lower right corner of the net, cutting the Tribe lead to 2-1.
Off of a free kick the Monarchs found the equalizer in the 77th minute. Militar flicked a pass to Geoffrey Hill, who placed the ball in the top left corner of the net, tying the match.
The Monarchs nearly took the lead with a goal in the 79th minute, but redshirt freshman Logan Jones made diving save. On 3-on-2, Hill fired a shot but Logan Jones turned it away.
Old Dominion held a slight 9-8 advantage in shots, which included a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. Junior Reilly Maw, Bustamante, and Jackson Eskay led the Tribe with two shots apiece. Both of Maw's and Bustamante's shots were on frame.
All three Tribe goalkeepers saw action in the match for the Tribe. Redshirt junior Mac Phillips and redshirt freshman Sam Onyeador each recorded a save, while Logan Jones stopped a pair of shots.
Militar, Stringer, Hill, and Josue Hernandez each fired a pair of shots for the Monarchs. Tiesenhauseen played 73 minutes in goal, and recorded five saves, while Christian Coulson played 18, but didn't record a stop.
W&M concludes its preseason with an exhibition at Martin Family Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 23. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
