Scouting the Tribe
W&M ran its unbeaten streak to six matches with a 1-1 tie at No. 24 Coastal Carolina on Tuesday. Junior
Antonio Bustamante scored off a dish from senior
William Eskay in the 31st minute, but the Chanticleers answered 49 seconds later and the teams played to a draw. The Tribe's current six-match unbeaten streak (4-0-2) is the longest for the program since a 10-match unbeaten streak (8-0-2) in 2010. Prior to its draw with Coastal, the Tribe closed out the home portion of its regular season schedule with a 4-1 win over Virginia Tech on Oct. 18. It was the program's second victory over the ACC this season along with a 3-2 overtime win against N.C. State on Aug. 28. On Tuesday, the Tribe moved back into the United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region Rankings, coming in at No. 6, which was the highest ranking for a CAA team. The Green and Gold appeared in the also receiving votes category of the United Soccer Coaches National Top 25 as well, garnering eight votes. Junior
Ryder Bell was named the CAA Player of the Week on Monday after leading the Tribe charge with two goals and two assists in the win over the Hokies. Both
Antonio Bustamante and sophomore
Hristo Bustamante registered a goal and an assist against Virginia Tech. The Tribe has three players ranked among the top 10 in the CAA in points, goals and assists.
Antonio Bustamante (first with seven), Bell (fifth with five) and sophomore
Reeves Trott (sixth with four) rank among the top 10 in goals, while Bustamante (first with 19), Bell (second with 17) and Eskay (seventh with 11) rank in the top 10 in points. Bell (first with seven), Bustamante (second with five) and Eskay (second with five) are among the top 10 in assists. Senior goalkeeper
Phil Breno has played every minute in goal for the Green and Gold and ranks 30th nationally with six shutouts. He sports a goals against average of 1.01 to go 39 saves.
Scouting Charleston
The Cougars have been on a roll of late, going unbeaten in their last seven matches (5-0-2), the longest active streak in the CAA. Overall, Charleston is 7-5-3, including a 3-1-3 CAA mark. CofC is 2-2-2 at home this season and will honor its 10-member senior class prior to the match on Saturday. As a team, the Cougars average just over a goal per game, but have been stout defensively. Charleston ranks second in the CAA in both goals against average (0.88) and shutouts (6). They have been even better in league play, posting a 0.52 GAA. CofC is coming off a 0-0 home draw with Delaware on Saturday. Senior Eli Dent leads Charleston with 10 points on three goals and four assists. He was named the CAA Player of the Week earlier this year after posting a goal and an assist in both wins over James Madison and UNCW. He notched the game-winning goal in each contest. Dent ranks fifth in the CAA in assists and eighth in points. Senior Leland Archer, sophomore Tucker Heffron and freshman Jake Nicholson have each scored three goals on the season. Senior goalkeeper Kevin Shields has played every minute in goal, sporting a 0.88 GAA with 44 saves and six shutouts. His 0.52 GAA in CAA play leads the league.
Series History: W&M vs. Charleston
- W&M holds an 8-2-1 advantage in the all-time series with Charleston, including a 3-2-1 mark in Charleston. Since the Cougars joined the CAA in 2013, the Tribe is 3-1 against CofC.
- The Green and Gold has outscored Charleston, 26-16, over their 11 meetings.
- Last season, the Tribe downed Charleston, 3-2, in Williamsburg with all five goals coming in the second half. Both
Ryder Bell and
William Eskay scored in the victory.
- CofC won the last meeting in Charleston, 3-1, in 2015.
Antonio Bustamante scored the Tribe's lone goal in the game.
- Eskay owns two goals and an assist in his three career games against the Cougars. He notched the game-winning goal and added an assist in the 3-2 overtime win during the 2014 season.
Setting Up the CAA Tourney
- Five of the six spots in the Colonial Athletic Association Championship have been sewn up by William & Mary, Charleston, James Madison, UNCW and Hofstra.
- The final berth will be decided by the Elon-Delaware match-up on Saturday.
- JMU, CofC and UNCW all still have a shot to earn the No. 1 seed and host the tournament's semifinal and championship rounds.
- The Tribe could finish as high as No. 2 and receive a first-round bye or as low as No. 6. A W&M victory over Charleston would result the Tribe finishing no lower than third in the league standings, while a loss or tie will result in a road quarterfinal game on Nov. 4. If W&M finishes third, it would host a CAA quarterfinal on Nov. 4.
- A Tribe victory coupled with a UNCW loss or tie against Northeastern would give the Green and Gold the No. 2 spot and a bye to the league semifinals.
Bell Named the CAA Player of the Week
- Junior
Ryder Bell was named the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week for the first time in his career on Monday.
- Bell tallied a career-high six points, tied for the game in the CAA this season, on two goals and two assists to lead the Tribe to a 4-1 win Virginia Tech on Oct. 18. It was the program's second win against an ACC opponent this season.
- Bell scored the Tribe's first two goals against the Hokies, including the game-winner. After giving W&M a 1-0 lead at the half with a 28th minute goal, he tallied the game-winner just 21 seconds after Virginia Tech had pulled even in the second half with marker in the 50th minute. It marked the third time in Bell's career that he tallied two goals in a game.
- He added assists on the Tribe's insurance goals in the 77th and 90th minutes. It marked the third time in Bell's career that he recorded two assists in a game.
- Bell joins classmate
Antonio Bustamante in earning CAA Player of the Week honors this season. Bustamante was recognized on Sept. 18 and Oct. 9.
- Bell's award also marks the third-straight week a Tribe athlete has been honored. After Bustamante was named the player of the week on Oct. 9, freshman
Sam Golan was named the league's rookie of the week for the second time last week.
- With his two goals, Bell surpassed the 20-goal mark for his career and now has 21 in his first three seasons with the Green and Gold. He leads the CAA in assists (7), while ranking second in points (17) and game-winning goals (2). Bell is fifth in the CAA in goals with five. He is 23rd nationally in assists.
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 (1.75), corner kicks (5.50), and shots (13.88) per game to go along with total assists (28) and total points (82). The Tribe is second in the league in scoring offense (1.69) and total goals (27).
- Nationally, W&M is 19th in total assists, 24th in total points, 25th in assists per game, 36th in points per game, 36th in total goals, 39th in shots per game and 49th corner kicks per game.
Fantastic Four
- The quartet of senior
William Eskay, juniors
Antonio Bustamante and
Ryder Bell and sophomore
Reeves Trott have combined for 61 points on 20 goals and 18 assists. They represent 74.4 percent of the team's points, 74.1 percent of its goals and 64.3 percent of its assists.
- All four players rank among the top 10 in the CAA in either points or goals. Bustamante leads the CAA in goals (8) and points (21), while Bell is the league leader in assists (7).
- Bustamante and Eskay is second in the league in assist (5). Bell is fifth in the league in goals (5) followed by Trott in sixth with four. Bell is second (17) and Eskay is seventh (11) in points.
- Both Trott and Bustamante have scored three goals in CAA play.
Bustamante League Leader
- Junior
Antonio Bustamante currently leads the CAA in points (21) and goals (8), while ranking second in assists (5). He ranks 31st nationally in points and 41st in goals.
- He has scored goals in eight of the last 11 matches. He has tallied a point in nine of the Green and Gold's last 13 contests dating back to Sept. 5 at George Washington. He is averaging 1.62 points per game over those 12 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.
Defense Wins
- During the Tribe's recent six-match unbeaten streak, the defense has been a key factor. Over the last six games, the Tribe has allowed just four goals and posted a 0.62 goals against average.
- The Green and Gold registered back-to-back shutouts in wins over 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.
- W&M ranks second in the CAA in shutouts overall with six, trailing only the eight of Elon. The Tribe ranks 53rd nationally in shutout percentage (0.375).
Nationally Recognized
- Junior Antonio Bustmante and freshman
Sam Golan both appeared the Top Drawer Soccer's National Top 100 Midseason lists last week. Bustamante was ranked No. 65 in the national top 100 player rankings, while Golan came in at No. 91 in the top freshmen list.
- Bustamante and Golan were one of two CAA players on each list. UNCW's Julio Moncada was No. 55 on the top 100 players list, while the Seahawks' Hjalmar Ekdal was No. 10 in freshmen rankings.
Among the Active NCAA Leaders
- Seniors
William Eskay and
Phil Breno as well as junior
Antonio Bustamante and
Ryder Bell rank among the NCAA Division I active career top-50 in various categories.
- Eskay is 26th among active players in assists (19) and 34th in points (57).
- Bustamante is 30th in career goals (23) and 39th in career points (56). He is also 18th in career points per game (1.14) and 23rd in goals per game (0.47).
- Like Bustamante, Bell ranks among the top 50 in four categories. He is 39th in career points (56), 48th in career goals (21), 25th in points per game (1.04) and 38th in goals per game (0.40).
- Breno is 30th among active Division I goalkeepers in career shutouts with 15.
Up Next
The Tribe wraps up the regular season with its final CAA tilt against the College of Charleston on Saturday, Oct. 28. The match between the two hottest teams in the league is set for 7 p.m. Charleston is currently unbeaten in its last seven matches (5-0-2), while the Tribe is unbeaten in its last six (4-0-2) entering the week. Live stats and video links are available on the men's soccer schedule page at TribeAthletics.com.
