Scouting the Tribe
W&M is coming off a dominating 4-1 road win at Northeastern on Saturday. The Green and Gold improved to 5-4-3 overall and 1-2-2 in CAA play. The Tribe scored all four goals over a 16:30 stretch in the first half to take a commanding lead. Junior
Ryder Bell got W&M on the board in the 17th minute with a sliding goal from 15 yards out. Sophomore
Reeves Trott provided what proved to be the game-winner, scoring from in close in the 25th minute. Junior
Antonio Bustamante added the Tribe's third tally, chipping the NU goalkeeper from 12 yards out three minutes later, before classmate
Christian Jones rounded out he scoring with a header goal off a free kick service in the 35th minute. The Tribe tallied season highs in points (14), goals (4) and assists (6) against the Huskies. Bustamante tallied a goal and three assists in the victory, while seniors
Riley Spain and
William Eskay as well as Bell recorded assists. Trott scored for the third time in as many games, and he leads the CAA with three goals in league action. Bustamante, who was named the CAA Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday, Eskay, Bell and Trott all rank among the top 10 in the CAA in both goals and points. Bustamante, Eskay and Bell are tied for the CAA lead in assists (4), while Bustamante tops the league in points (14) and goals (5). Senior goalkeeper
Phil Breno has played every minute in goal for the Green and Gold, sporting a goals against average of 1.19 to go with four shutout and 31 saves. Three of the Tribe's four setbacks (No. 4 North Carolina, No. 15 UNCW and No. 24 Michigan) this season have come to teams currently ranked among the national top 25.
Scouting Elon
Elon enters the match with Tribe following an off week. The Phoenix dropped a 1-0 decision at No. 19 Duke on Oct. 3 to fall to 3-2-6 on the year. Both Elon losses this season have come to top-25 ranked teams in No. 15 UNCW and the Blue Devils. The Phoenix is 0-1-3 in CAA play, having played Hofstra, JMU and Charleston to draws. Elon is looking for its first win since Sept. 8 when it downed High Point, 3-0. The Phoenix is one of the top defensive units in the country, ranking fourth in save percentage (.875), fifth in goals against average (0.41) and seventh in shutout percentage (0.64). Elon has blanked seven of its 11 opponents. Junior goalkeeper Matthew Jegier leads the CAA and ranks fifth nationally in goals against average, allowing just five goals in his 11 games. He also tops the league and ranks sixth nationally in both save percentage (.868) and shutouts (7). The Phoenix has scored nine goals in its 11 matches. Elijah Agu, Ronni Mleczkovicz and Jaiden Fortune top Elon with two goals and two assists apiece. Agu was a First Team All-CAA selection last season after scoring 11 goals, while Fortune was a third team all-league pick. Mleczkovicz has twice been named the CAA Rookie of the Week this season.
Series History: W&M vs. Elon
- The Tribe leads the all-time series with Elon at 5-2-1, including a 3-1-1 mark in Williamsburg. The Green and Gold has outscored the Phoenix, 10-6, in the eight all-time meetings.
- W&M is 2-1-1 against Elon since they joined the CAA in 2014.
- Last season, they split a pair of matches at Elon. The Phoenix picked up a 2-0 win over the Tribe during the regular season, before W&M notched a 1-0 triumph in the CAA Quarterfinals.
Antonio Bustamante scored the game-winner from
William Eskay in the 18th minute during the Tribe's quarterfinal win.
- The Green and Gold notched a 4-1 win in the teams' last meeting in Williamsburg in 2015.
Marcel Berry assisted on three of the Tribe's four goals, while Bustamante scored in the victory.
Bustamante Earns Second CAA Player of the Week
- Junior
Antonio Bustamante was named the CAA Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. He factored in all four Tribe goals in the road win at Northeastern with a goal and three assists.
- Bustamante is the first CAA athlete to earn multiple player of the week awards this season. He was named the player of the week on Sept. 18 following goals against both top-10 North Carolina and Campbell. Last season, he garnered the distinction on Oct. 3, 2016 after posting a hat trick against Northeastern.
- His five points against the Huskies were the second most of Bustamante's career behind the seven (on three goals and an assist) he tallied against Northeastern in Williamsburg last season.
- Bustamante posted his fifth career game with at a goal and an assist in the same contest. He currently leads the CAA in points (14), goals (5) and assists (4).
- Bustamante was also named to the honorable mention list on the
Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week.
- He has scored goals in five of the last seven matches. He has tallied a point in six of the Green and Gold's last nine contests dating back to Sept. 5 at George Washington. He is averaging 1.6 points per game over those nine matches.
CAA Leaders
- In league play, the Tribe leads the CAA in goals (9), assists (11) and points (29).
- Overall, W&M currently ranks either first or second in every offensive category in the CAA. The Green and Gold lead the league in assists (1.75), corner kicks (6.17), and shots (12.67) per game to go along with total assists (21) and total points (59). The Tribe is second in the league in points per game (4.92), scoring offense (4.92) and total goals (19).
- Nationally, W&M is 22nd in total assists, 23rd corner kicks per game, 31st in total points, 32nd in assists per game, 40th in total goals, 45th in points per game and 53rd in scoring offense.
- Over the last three games, the Tribe has scored eight goals (2.7 per game). The Green and Gold is averaging two goals per contest over the last seven contests.
Four-Headed Scoring Monster
- The quartet of senior
William Eskay, juniors
Antonio Bustamante and
Ryder Bell and sophomore
Reeves Trott have combined for 43 points on 15 goals and 13 assists. They represent 72.9 percent of the team's points, 78.9 percent of its goals and 61.9 percent of its assists.
- All four players rank among the top 10 in the CAA in points and goals. Bustamante leads the CAA in points (14), goals (5) and assists (4).
- Eskay and Bell are tied for the CAA lead in assists (4), while ranking third in points (10) and seventh in goals (3). Trott is third in the league in goals (4) and sixth in points (9).
- In each of the last three CAA games, Trott has scored a goal. His three goals in league play lead the CAA.
Oct. 18 Game with Virginia Tech to be Televised on Cox
- The Tribe announced an exclusive linear broadcast partnership with Cox Communications in Virginia for its Oct. 18 home game with Virginia Tech earlier this week. The match carries a 7 p.m., start time from Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.
- The game will be available throughout Hampton Roads on Yurview Virginia, Cox's channel 1011, while additional outlets include Fairfax County (1074), Fredericksburg (1077) and Roanoke (1009). Other markets will also be included and will be announced closer to game day.
- The multi-camera HD production will also be streamed on Tribe Athletics TV via Stretch Internet. It will be part of the extensive CAA.TV broadcast lineup that allows fans to watch with custom applications on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.
Up Next
The Tribe continues its three-match homestand, welcoming Hofstra to Williamsburg on Saturday, Oct. 14. The match carries a 7 p.m. start time and will be available on Tribe Athletics TV via Stretch Internet.
