ELON, N.C. – Sophomore Antonio Bustamante tallied in the 18th minute and redshirt junior goalkeeper Phil Breno and the William & Mary men's soccer defense made it standup in a 1-0 victory at No. 4-seeded Elon in the Colonial Athletic Association Quarterfinals on Saturday night. With the win, the Tribe improves to 11-6-2 and advances to the league semifinals against top-seeded and host Hofstra, while the Phoenix end its season with a 7-6-4 record.
 
Elon controlled the possession for a good part of the first 15 minutes of the match, but the offense could only muster one shot during the rush. That came in the 13th minute when Jaiden Fortune pushed one well wide.
 
William & Mary's first two offensive chances came from distance with only one coming on target. Redshirt senior Jeff Bombelles fired a shot, but the Phoenix goalkeeper Matthew Jegier was there for the stop in the 17th minute.
 
The Tribe took the early lead with a goal in the 18th minute. Junior William Eskay sent a through ball down the middle of the pitch that set Antonio Bustamante free. With the goalkeeper charging, the sophomore pushed his shot around him and into the lower left of the goal.
 
W&M ended up dominating the shot count in the first stanza, outshooting the Phoenix 8-1, including a 3-0 advantage in shots on-goal. Sophomore Ryder Bell led the Tribe with three shots, while Bombelles and Eskay each had two shots.
 
Elon opened the second half on the break, and was rewarded with a pair of corner kicks in the 48th minute. However, the Tribe defense limited them without a shot on either and cleared the ball away to safety.
 
The Phoenix had a golden opportunity in the 59th minute. Elon's leading scorer Elijah Agu raced down the pitch and was one on one with Breno. Breno came off of his line to make the stop and preserve the 1-0 lead.
 
W&M was able to all but ice the match by taking back over the attack at the tail end of the match. Eskay put a shot on target that was cleared away by a Phoenix defender for the team save. On the ensuing corner kick, Bombelles put another one on target in the 89th minute.
 
Elon did have one last ditch effort in the final seconds. Agu launched a shot, but a pair of defenders blocked it and cleared the ball away for the victory.
 
Breno made just the one stop on the night, but he and the Tribe defense were able to hold on for the shutout. Individually, it was the redshirt junior's seventh of the season. The Tribe now has eight shutouts, including three in row. W&M has gone 283 minutes without allowing a goal, dating back to the Charleston match.
 
The Green and Gold now heads to the CAA Semifinals where top seeded and host Hofstra await. Kickoff from Hempstead, N.Y. is set for 7 p.m.