Scouting the Tribe
The Tribe ran its winning streak to three and its unbeaten mark to four with a pair of CAA shutouts last week. The Green and Gold blanked Elon, 1-0, in the midweek before picking up another clean sheet against Hofstra, 2-0, on Saturday. In the win over the Phoenix, W&M enjoyed a commanding 20-7 advantage in shots and held Elon without an attempt on goal. Junior
Graham Guidry finally broke through for the Tribe on a volley in the 66th minute off a cross from sophomore
Julian Ngoh. It was Guidry's second game-winner of the year, which ranks second in the CAA and leads the Tribe. Juniors
Marcel Berry and
Antonio Bustamante provided the goals in the triumph over Hofstra. Berry followed up his own saved shot in the 28th minute, while Bustmante lobbed a chip over the Pride goalkeeper off a through ball from junior
Ryder Bell. W&M attempted a season-high 22 shots in the win over Hofstra. During its recent three-match winning streak, the Tribe outscored its opponents, 7-1. Four Tribe players, including Bustamante, senior
William Eskay, Bell and sophomore
Reeves Trott, rank among the top 10 in the CAA in both goals and points. Bell also leads the CAA in assists with five, while Bustamante tops the league in points (16) and goals (6). Senior goalkeeper
Phil Breno has played every minute in goal for the Green and Gold and ranks 19th nationally with six shutouts. He sports a goals against average of 1.03 to go 34 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 Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech enters Wednesday's match at 7-6 on the year and is currently No. 17 in the NCAA RPI released on Monday. The Hokies won five five-straight matches from Sept. 19 through Oct. 3, including a 2-1 upset of then-No. 1 ranked Notre Dame. Tech has dropped its last two contests to top-10 teams in No. 7 Louisville, 1-0, and No. 2 Wake Forest, 3-0. The Hokies are 3-3 in road games this season, including wins over Boston College and South Carolina during its most recent win streak. Marcelo Acuna, who was a Third-Team All-American last season, leads the way for Virginia Tech with 18 points on eight goals and two assists. Half of his markers have gone for game-winners, and he scored both goals in the win over Notre Dame. Both Collin Verfurth and Kristo Strickler own three goals on the year, while Rory Slevin and Elias Tamburini lead the Hokies with three assists apiece. Ben Lundgaard has played every minute in goal for Virginia Tech, posting a 1.54 goals against average with 72 saves and three shutouts.
Series History: W&M vs. Virginia Tech
- W&M leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech at 10-3-2, including a 6-1-2 mark in Williamsburg.
- In the last five matches, the Hokies hold a 3-0-2 mark against the Tribe. The most recent meeting between W&M and then-No. 15 Virginia Tech in Williamsburg was a 1-1 tie during the 2007 campaign.
- The Green and Gold has outscored the Hokies, 35-12, in the previous 15 meetings.
Facing the ACC
- The Tribe faces its third ACC opponent of 2017 in Virginia Tech on Wednesday. Earlier this season, W&M topped N.C. State, 3-2, in overtime, before falling at No. 8 North Carolina, 3-2.
- It marks the third time in the last five years that W&M plays three ACC teams in a season, and it's the fifth consecutive season that the Tribe has faced multiple ACC opponents.
- The Green and Gold's overtime win over N.C. State marked the program's fifth against the ACC in the last eight years.
- In total, the Tribe will face four teams from Power 5 conferences in 2017, including its season opener at Michigan. The four major conference foes are the most on the Green and Gold slate since 2007.
- During head coach
Chris Norris tenure, the Tribe owns eight wins and four ties against Power 5 Conference opponents.
Golan Named CAA Rookie of the Week … Again
- For the second time this season, freshman
Sam Golan was named the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week on Monday.
- Golan played the full 90 minutes in both Tribe victories, aiding a defense that posted back-to-back shutouts over Elon, 1-0, and Hofstra, 2-0. Against the Phoenix, he was a stalwart along the backline, helping the Green and Gold defense limit Elon to zero shots on goal.
- Golan has started the last 13 games for W&M, which owns six shutouts during that stretch.
- He became the second player in the league to earn multiple rookie of the week honors, joining Elon's Ronni Mleczkovicz. Golan also took home the honor on Sept. 25 after scoring his first collegiate goal against UNCW.
Defense Wins
- During the Tribe's recent four-match unbeaten streak, the defense has been a key factor. Over the last four games, the Tribe has allowed just two goals and posted a 0.47 goals against average.
- In both wins last week, the Green and Gold posted shutouts as the Tribe knocked off Elon, 1-0, on Oct. 11 and Hofstra, 2-0, on Oct. 14. W&M limited the Phoenix to zero shots on goal and Hofstra to just three.
- Defensively, the Tribe is tied for the league lead with three clean sheets in CAA play.
- W&M ranks second in the CAA in shutouts overall with six, trailing only the eight of Elon. The Tribe ranks 31st nationally in shutout percentage (0.43).
CAA Leaders
- In league play, the Tribe leads the CAA in goals (12), assists (13) and points (37).
- 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 (1.64), corner kicks (5.93), and shots (13.86) per game to go along with total goals, (22), assists (23) and points (67). The Tribe is second in the league in scoring offense (1.57).
- Nationally, W&M is 29th in total assists, 30th corner kicks per game, 36th in total points, 40th in shots per game, 44th in assists per game, 45th in total goals and 54th in points per game.
Fantastic Four
- The quartet of senior
William Eskay, juniors
Antonio Bustamante and
Ryder Bell and sophomore
Reeves Trott have combined for 46 points on 16 goals and 14 assists. They represent 68.9 percent of the team's points, 72.7 percent of its goals and 60.9 percent of its assists.
- All four players rank among the top 10 in the CAA in points and goals. Bustamante leads the CAA in goals (6) and points (16), while Bell is the league leader in assists (5).
- Eskay and Bustamante are tied for the CAA lead in assists (4), while Bell and Eskay are 10th in the league in goals (3). Bell is third (11) in the CAA followed by Eskay in fourth (10) in points. Trott is third in the league in goals (4) and eighth in points (9).
- Both Trott and Bustamante have scored three goals in CAA play.
Bustamante League Leader
- Junior
Antonio Bustamante currently leads the CAA in points (16) and goals (6), while ranking second in assists (4).
- He has scored goals in six of the last nine matches. He has tallied a point in seven of the Green and Gold's last 11 contests dating back to Sept. 5 at George Washington. He is averaging 1.5 points per game over those 11 matches.
- Bustamante has twice been named the CAA Player of the Week on Sept. 18 and Oct. 9. He factored in all four Tribe goals in the road win at Northeastern with a goal and three assists for his second award after scoring against both Campbell and North Carolina to earn the first one.
- Bustamante was the first CAA athlete to earn multiple player of the week awards this season. He was also named to the honorable mention list on the
Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week on Oct. 10.
- In the preseason, he was one of 31 players nationally to be named to the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List. Bustamante was also the preseason CAA Player of the Year.
Up Next
The Tribe hits the road for its final two matches in the state of South Carolina. W&M faces Coastal Carolina on Tuesday, Oct. 24, before making the trek to the College of Charleston for its final regular season match on Sautrday, Oct. 28. The match with Coastal Carolina carries a 5 p.m. start time, while the CofC tilt is set for 7 p.m. Live stats and video links are available on the schedule page at TribeAthletics.com.
