Scouting the Tribe
W&M ran its unbeaten streak to seven matches with a pair of 1-1 ties last week. The Green and Gold played to a draw at No. 24 Coastal Carolina on Oct. 24, before closing out CAA play with a stalemate at College of Charleston on Oct. 28. Junior
Antonio Bustamante scored off a dish from senior
William Eskay in the opening half against the Chanticleers, while junior
Ryder Bell equalized in the 68th minute at Charleston. The Tribe's current seven-match unbeaten streak (4-0-3) is the longest for the program since a 10-match run (8-0-2) in 2010. On Tuesday, the Tribe remained in the United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region Rankings, coming in at No. 8, which was the highest ranking for a CAA team. The Green and Gold sits at 8-4-5 on the year, and with its pair of draws last week, equaled the school record for ties in a season. W&M also drew five matches in both 1982 and 2005. After opening CAA play 0-2-1, the Green and Gold went 3-0-2 over the final five matches to finish fifth in the league standings. The Tribe owns a pair of wins over ACC opponents this season, downing N.C. State, 3-2, in overtime on Aug. 28, to go along with a 4-1 triumph over Virginia Tech on Oct. 18. Of the Tribe's four losses in 2017, two came to No. 3-ranked and ACC Coastal Division champion North Carolina and No. 12-ranked and Big Ten regular season champion Michigan. Bustamante leads the CAA with 21 points and eight goals on the season, while Bell leads the league in assists (7). He ranks second in points (19) and fourth in goals (6). Senior goalkeeper
Phil Breno has played every minute in goal for the Green and Gold and ranks 36th nationally with six shutouts. He sports a goals against average of 1.00 to go with 42 saves. Breno ranks among the Tribe's career top 10 in goals against average (sixth at 1.08), shutouts (sixth at 13) and saves (10th at 105).
Scouting Hofstra
Hofstra closed out the regular season on a hot streak, winning its last three matches. In fact, the Pride has won five of its last six with its lone loss over that stretch coming to the Tribe. On Tuesday, Luke Brown scored the game-winner in the 36th minute to give HU a 1-0 win over Brown. Hofstra sits at 6-5-6 overall and 3-1-4 in CAA play. The Tribe handed Hofstra its lone loss, 2-0, in Williamsburg on Oct. 14. Three of the Pride's five losses in 2017 have come to teams currently ranked in the national top 25 (Maryland, Dartmouth and Virginia). Along with the win over Brown, HU topped UNCW, 2-1, in overtime to close out CAA and Binghamton, 2-1 during its recent streak. Brown and Danny Elliott lead Hfostra with nine points on three goals and three assists. Oscar Ramsay also has three goals for the Pride. The trio has scored nine of HU's 14 goals on the season, including all six game-winners. Hofstra scored nine of its 14 goals on the year in CAA play. Alex Ashton played majority of the minutes in goal for HU, sporting a goals against average of 1.06 with 59 saves and five shutouts.
Series History: W&M vs. Hofstra
- The Tribe leads the all-time series with the Pride at 11-7-3, but Hofstra holds a 4-2-2 advantage in Hempstead. W&M has out scored Hofstra, 31-24, over the 21 games in the series.
- The Tribe is 3-0 all-time against the Pride in the CAA Championship, including a 3-1 win in the CAA Semifinals in Hempstead, N.Y., last season.
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Antonio Bustamante has scored in each of the last three games against the Pride. He tallied the capper in the second half against Hofstra in Williamsburg earlier this season.
- W&M upended the Pride, 2-0, in Williamsburg on Oct. 14, handing Hofstra its only CAA loss. Junior
Marcel Berry scored what proved to the game-winner in the 28th minute, before Bustamante provided the final margin, chipping the goalkeeper in the 65th minute.
Tribe CAA Championship History
- The Tribe owns seven CAA Tournament crowns with the most recent coming in 2010. W&M also claimed league titles in 1983, 1987, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000.
- The Green and Gold is making its 24th CAA Championship appearance and owns an all-time record of 29-14-1 in the event. The Tribe is 12-5-1 all-time in the CAA Quarterfinals.
- In its last two appearances in the CAA Championship (2013 and 2016), the Tribe played three matches and advanced to the championship. W&M won both its quarterfinal and semifinal contests, before falling in the title tilt.
- Last season, the Tribe was also the No. 5 seed and posted a 1-0 quarterfinal win at Elon, before knocking off Hofstra, 3-1, in the semifinals.
- W&M is the fifth seed in the CAA Championship for the fifth time. The Tribe is 5-3 as the No. 5 seed, including winning the 1999 league crown. Two of the four previous times W&M was the No. 5 seed it advanced to the CAA title match.
- The Green and Gold is 5-3 all-time against the No. 4 seed in the CAA Championship. W&M is 3-0 vs. Hofstra in the league tournament.
CAA Leaders
- In league play, the Tribe topped the CAA in goals (13), assists (13) and points (39).
- 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 (1.65), points (4.94) and shots (13.76) per game to go along with total assists (28) and total points (84). The Tribe is second in the league in scoring offense (1.65), total goals (28) and corner kicks per game (5.35).
- Nationally, W&M is 30th in total assists, 37th in total points, 38th in assists per game, 44th in total goals, 44th in shots per game, 45th in points per game, and 58th corner kicks per game.
Ring the Bell
- Senior
Ryder Bell closed the regular season on the roll, making a major impact over the Tribe's seven-match unbeaten streak. He has scored three goals in the last three games.
- Bell owns four of his six markers this season in the last six matches, posting 12 points (four goals and four assists) during the stretch.
- He recorded a career and CAA-high six points on two goals and two assists in the Tribe's 4-1 win over Virginia Tech. It marked the third time in his career that he registered two goals in a game and the third that he had two assists in a game.
- Bell recorded two assists earlier this season at James Madison as well.
- He surpassed the 20-goal mark for his career against Virginia Tech and owns 22 over his three seasons.
- His seven assists on the year lead the CAA and rank 28th nationally.
Fantastic Four
- The quartet of senior
William Eskay, juniors
Antonio Bustamante and
Ryder Bell and sophomore
Reeves Trott have combined for 60 points on 21 goals and 18 assists. They represent 71.4 percent of the team's points, 75 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 are second in the league in assist (5). Bell is fourth in the league in goals (6) followed by Trott in sixth with four. Bell is second (19) 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 is 42nd nationally in points and 49th in goals.
- He has scored goals in eight of the last 12 matches. He has tallied a point in nine of the Green and Gold's last 14 contests dating back to Sept. 5 at George Washington. He is averaging 1.5 points per game over those 14 matches.
- Bustamante was the first CAA athlete to earn multiple player of the week awards and is one of only two this year. The junior midfielder took home the accolade on Sept. 18 and Oct. 9. 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 seven-match unbeaten streak, the defense has been a key factor. Over the last seven games, the Tribe has allowed just five goals and posted a 0.65 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 third in the CAA in shutouts overall with six, and the Tribe ranks 57th nationally in goals against average (1.00) and 61st in shutout percentage (0.353).
Nationally Recognized
- Junior
Antonio Bustamante and freshman
Sam Golan both appeared in
Top Drawer Soccer's National Top 100 Midseason lists on Oct. 17. 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 juniors
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 39th in points (57).
- Bustamante is 34th in career goals (23) and 46th in career points (56). He is also 20th in career points per game (1.12) and 27th in goals per game (0.46).
- Like Bustamante, Bell ranks among the top 50 in four categories. He is 37th in career points (58), 44th in career goals (22), 24th in points per game (1.09) and 35th in goals per game (0.42).
- Breno is 37th among active Division I goalkeepers in career shutouts with 15.
CAA Weekly Accolades
- Juniors
Ryder Bell and
Antonio Bustamante garnered CAA Player of the Week honors during the 2017 campaign, while freshman
Sam Golan was twice selected as the league's rookie of the week.
- Bustamante was twice selected 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.
- Bell picked up his first player of the week honor after tallying a career-high six points on two goals and two assists to lead the Tribe to a 4-1 win Virginia Tech on Oct. 18.
- Golan was one of two league players to be named CAA Rookie of the Week twice in 2017. He garnered the distinction on Sept. 25 and Oct. 16. Golan scored his first collegiate goal against UNCW to pick up his first accolade, while he garnered the second after helping the Tribe to back-to-back shutout wins over Elon and Hofstra.
