WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary women's soccer team begins a stretch of three matches against in-state rivals with a split weekend. The Green and Gold travel to Old Dominion for a match on Thursday, Sept. 1, before hosting No. 16 Virginia Tech on Sunday, Sept. 4. Matches are slated for a 7 p.m. and 2 p.m. kickoff, respectivley.
TribeAthletics.com caught up with head coach
John Daly to discuss the results last weekend, playing three-straight in-state rival, and the upcoming matches with Old Dominion and Virginia Tech. The video preview is available through the above link or by clicking
here.
Scouting the Tribe
William & Mary (2-1-0) looks to build off of a win over DePaul on Sunday afternoon as they open a stretch of three straight games against foes from the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Tribe travels to Old Dominion on Thursday, Sept. 1, before hosting nationally ranked Virginia Tech. Redshirt freshman
Sarah Segan and junior
Rachel Moore lead the offense with two goals, one assist, and five points apiece. Eight players have already recorded atleast one point this season for the Tribe. Redshirt junior
Grace Smith has played every minute in goal this season. She has a 1.33 goals-against-average, 10 saves, and a shutout.
Scouting the Monarchs
Old Dominion enters its third week of the season with 1-3-0 overall record. The Monarchs are looking to rebound after a pair of setbacks to in-state rivals VCU (2-1) and No. 4 Virginia (4-0). Three different players have tallied this season for ODU. Kathryn Hill, Madison Hogan, and Alex Davidson have all recorded goals. Krista Moisio has played every minute in goal. She boasts a 2.25 goals-against-average with 15 saves. The Monarchs were selected to finish fifth in Conference USA in the preseason poll.
Scouting the Hokies
No. 16 Virginia Tech enters the weekend with a perfect 4-0 record, but square off with Ohio State on Thursday night in Blacksburg. The Hokies have wins over LSU (1-0), Mississippi State (2-1), East Carolina (5-1) and James Madison (2-0). Alani Johnson leads the offense with four goals and eight points, while five other players have scored this season. Candace Cephers is just off of the pace with two goals, and assist, and five points. Mandy McGlynn has started every minute in match, while Blayne Fink has seen action in one game in relief. McGlynn owns a 0.50 goals-against- average, with 10 saves, and two shutouts. She has allowed just two goals so far this season. The Hokies were selected to finish seventh in the ACC by a vote of league head coaches.
Series History vs. Old Dominion
W&M squares off with Old Dominion for the 26th time in program history on Thursday night. The Tribe leads the series 22-2-1 with their Hampton Roads and former CAA rivals. The Tribe picked up a 3-0 victory last season in Williamsburg with junior
Sami Grasso,
Leci Irvin, and
Samantha Cordum all scored in the victory.
Series History vs. Virginia Tech
The Tribe rounds out the weekend with its 14th meeting with Virginia Tech on Sunday. W&M leads the all-time series with the Hokies 11-2, but the two teams have not met since the 2004 season. That day, W&M walked away with a 2-1 victory.
The Road Ahead
Following these matches, W&M hits the road for a pair of matches next weekend. The Tribe travels to in-state rival VCU on Thursday, Sept. 8, before heading to UNC Greensboro on Sunday, Sept. 11. Matches are set for 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
First Half Furry
The Tribe has scored all seven of their goals in the first half of matches this season. Furthermore, there has been only one goal scored in the second half season in a game that the Tribe has been played in so far this season.
Segan Striking Early
Freshman
Sarah Segan has gotten on the scoresheet twice this season, and both of her markers have been early in the match. Against East Carolina she scored in the 10th minute, before she tallied in the second minute against Maryland.
Closing in on an Impressive Milestone
Head coach
John Daly, who is entering his 30th season as the Tribe's head coach, is closing in on his 400th career victory. He is just four wins away from the mark, and enters the season with a career record of 397-159-53, which a .695 winning percentage.
Pole Position
W&M was selected to win the CAA title by a vote of the league's 10 head coaches in the preseason poll. The Green and Gold, which won a share of last year's regular season crown and advanced to the CAA Championship match, received six of the possible nine first place votes and 76 points in the preseason poll. Defending CAA champion James Madison was picked just behind the Tribe with 73 points, while Hofstra was selected third with 69 points.
Connect Four
The Tribe had four players selected to the Preseason All-CAA teams. Senior
Clara Logsdon and junior
Rachel Moore each earned a spot on the All-CAA team, while juniors
Elysse Branton and
Sami Grasso picked up honorable mention honors.
Setting the Slate
W&M officially opened its 18-game schedule last week on the road at East Carolina, however, the Tribe will play 10 home games at Albert-Daly Field at Martin Family Stadium this fall. The home schedule includes a season-long five-game homestand from Sept. 15 to Oct. 2, which features High Point, Marshall, James Madison, Towson, and Elon. The 10 home games are the most since the 2010 season.
Familiar Faces
W&M returns six starters and 18 players from last year's team that went to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the 25th time in 35 seasons that the Tribe qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
Instant Impact
The Tribe welcomes seven true freshmen, and a redshirt freshman to the roster for the 2016 campaign. Freshmen have had an instant impact with the Tribe, as W&M as had at least one All-Rookie team selection since the award's inception in 2004. Current Tribe players, senior
Clara Logsdon, juniors
Elysse Branton and
Rachel Moore, and sophomore
Mackenzie Kober were CAA All-Rookie selections earlier in their career.
Coming Home
Former All-CAA player
Emory Camper returns to the Tribe as she begins her coaching career with the Green and Gold. She finished her W&M playing career with 31 goals, 12 assists, and 72 points.
