Scouting the Tribe
W&M ran its unbeaten streak to eight matches with a 4-1 CAA Quarterfinal win over Hofstra on Nov. 4. Junior
Antonio Bustamante set a school, CAA single-game and CAA Championship record with four goals against the Pride. The Tribe improved to 30-16-1 in CAA Tournament play with its 13th quarterfinal win. The Green and Gold's current eight-match unbeaten streak (5-0-3) is the longest for the program since a 10-match run (8-0-2) in 2010. On Tuesday, the Tribe moved up in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) Midwest Region Rankings to No. 6, which was the highest ranking for a CAA team. For the second time in three weeks, the Tribe received votes in the USC national Top 25. W&M was one of 10 teams among the also receiving votes category, garnering three votes. The Green and Gold sits at 9-4-5 on the year, and its five draws tied the school record for a season. W&M also drew five matches in both 1982 and 2005. 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. 6-ranked and ACC Coastal Division champion North Carolina and No. 10-ranked and Big Ten regular season champion Michigan. Bustamante leads the CAA with 29 points and 12 goals on the season, while junior
Ryder Bell leads the league in assists (7). He also 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 42nd 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 112).
Scouting James Madison
The Dukes won the CAA regular season with a 5-1-2 league mark. JMU, which is 9-6-3 overall, has won five of its last six matches entering the league tournament. Its lone CAA setback came at Charleston, 2-1. Most recently, the Dukes posted a 1-0 win over Drexel in Harrisonburg on Oct. 28. JMU ranks second in the CAA in points (84), goals (31) and scoring offense (1.72) behind the Tribe. The Dukes equaled the Tribe in scoring with 13 goals in league play. Sophomore Manuel Ferriol leads JMU and ranks second in the CAA with seven goals. He tallied a league-best five markers in conference play. Sophomore Ben Dao is fourth in the league with six goals, while senior Joe Vyner owns four goals and four assists. Freshman TJ Bush has started 12 matches in goal for JMU and owns a goals against average of 1.11 to go with 40 saves and five shutouts. The Dukes are 7-4-1 in his starts.
Series History: W&M vs. JMU
- JMU leads the all-time series at 25-19-4, including a 13-4-4 mark in Harrisonburg. The Tribe has actually outscored the Dukes over the 48-game series at 75-73.
- James Madison owns a 7-2-2 mark in the series over the last 11 contests.
- The Dukes hold a 4-3 advantage against W&M in the CAA Tournament, including wins in the last two meetings in 2001 and 2003.
- Junior
Ryder Bell has scored twice in three career games with James Madison.
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 30-16-1 in the event. The Tribe is 11-5 in the CAA semifinals and 3-4 against the top seed.
- In its last two appearances in the CAA Championship (2013 and 2016), the Tribe played three matches and advanced to the title match. 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 top-seeded Hofstra, 3-1, in the semifinals.
- W&M is the fifth seed in the CAA Championship for the fifth time. The Tribe is 6-3 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.
Déjà vu
- A bit of déjà vu might be setting in for the Tribe as it heads into the final weekend of the CAA Championship in Harrisonburg. For the second-straight season, the Tribe parlayed a strong regular season finish into a road win in the CAA Quarterfinals and a match-up with the regular season champion in the semifinals.
- Last season, W&M won four of its final five matches to earn the No. 5 seed in the CAA Championship.
Antonio Bustamante led the Green and Gold to a 1-0 road in the quarterfinals at No. 4 Elon. The Tribe would go on to down top-seeded Hofstra, 3-1, in the semifinals, before falling in the championship to Delaware, 2-1.
- This season, the opening act has been strikingly similar. The Tribe capped the regular season on a seven-match unbeaten streak to earn the No. 5 seed in the CAA Championship. On the road at No. 4 Hofstra, Bustamante again stepped to the forefront with four goals in a Tribe victory. Up next is a meeting with regular season champion and top-seeded James Madison on Friday.
- The Green and Gold experience has served it well in its second act. W&M returned nine of its 11 starters from 2016, including five of its top six point producers. Of the Tribe's 20 returning players this season, 13 are upperclassmen, including seven of those nine starters.
National POW
- Thanks to his four-goal performance at Hofstra, junior
Antonio Bustamante was named the Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week.
- Bustamante scored two goals in each half against the Pride, including what proved to be the game-winner, his second of the season, in the 36th minute. Bustamante scored on a free kick in the 54th minute, before providing the capper on a breakaway in the 78th minute.
- He is the Tribe's first national player of the week since 2011 when Nicolas Abrigo earned the honor following a two-goal performance in a 3-2 win at No. 5 SMU. He is the first Top Drawer National Player of the Week since Alan Koger in 2010.
Record Setter
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Antonio Bustamante's four-goal outburst at Hofstra set a number of records for the Tribe and in the Colonial Athletic Association.
- His four goals set a CAA Championship record and were also a CAA single-game mark. It was the third time in league history a player scored four goals in a match and the first since 2004.
- Bustamante tied the W&M school record with the four goals and is the first Tribe player since Ron Rabb against Christopher Newport in 1987 to accomplish the feat. John McManus (1980 vs. Radford), Chris Thomas (1975 vs. Washington & Lee) and Don McCarthy (1971 vs. East Carolina) scored four goals in a game during their Tribe careers.
- The four goals are the most in the country this season, and Bustamante is one of just six players to accomplish the feat. His eight points against the Pride are the third-most in a game nationally in 2017.
CAA Leaders
- In league play, the Tribe topped the CAA in goals (13), assists (13) and points (39).
- Overall, W&M currently ranks leads the CAA in nearly every offensive category. The Green and Gold tops the league in scoring offense (1.78), assists (1.67), points (5.22) and shots (13.61) per game to go along with total goals (32), total assists (30) and total points (94).
- Nationally, W&M is 28th in assists per game, 31st in total assists, 31st in total goals, 32nd in total points, 35th in points per game and 36th in scoring offense.
Scoring BOOST-amante
- Junior
Antonio Bustamante currently leads the CAA in points (29) and goals. Those numbers rank 10th and 13th nationally, respectively. Bustamante is 19th in the country in goals per game (0.67) and 22nd in points per game (1.61).
- He has scored goals in nine of the last 13 matches. Bustamante owns 20 points on eight goals and four assists over the last seven contests. He is averaging 2.15 points per game over those 13 matches.
- With his 10 goals last season and 12 goals in 2017, Bustamante is the first Tribe player since Andrew Hoxie in 2008 and 2009 with back-to-back seasons of 10 or more goals.
- Bustamante's 12 goals this season are the most for a Tribe player since Carlos Garcia's 15 in 2001. His 29 points in 2017 are the most for a Tribe athlete since Andrew Hoxie had 32 in 2009.
- 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.
Fantastic Four
- The quartet of senior
William Eskay, juniors
Antonio Bustamante and
Ryder Bell and sophomore
Reeves Trott have combined for 68 points on 25 goals and 18 assists. They represent 72.3 percent of the team's points, 78.1 percent of its goals and 60 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 (12) and points (29), 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 seventh with four. Bell is second (19) and Eskay is eighth (11) in points.
- Both Trott and Bustamante tallied three goals apiece in CAA play, while Bell had two goals and four assists.
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 29th among active players in assists (19) and 46th in points (57).
- Bustamante is 21st in career goals (27) and 29th in career points (56). He is also 12th in career points per game (1.25) and 17th in goals per game (0.53).
- Like Bustamante, Bell ranks among the top 50 in four categories. He is 43rd in career points (58), 46th in career goals (22), 26th in points per game (1.07) and 39th in goals per game (0.41).
- Breno is 37th among active Division I goalkeepers in career shutouts with 15.
Ring the Bell
- Senior
Ryder Bell has been on a roll of late, making a major impact over the Tribe's eight-match unbeaten streak. He has scored three goals in the last four games.
- Bell owns four of his six markers this season in the last seven 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.
Defense Wins
- During the Tribe's recent eight-match unbeaten streak, the defense has been a key factor. Over the last eight games, the Tribe has allowed just six goals and posted a 0.69 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 62nd nationally in goals against average (1.00) and 70th in shutout percentage (0.33).
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.
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.
