WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary women's soccer team hits the road for its first true road game as it travels to Virginia Tech for an in-state matchup on Thursday, Aug. 31. Kickoff between the Tribe and the Hokies is set for 7 p.m.
As part of TribeAthletics.com five-part series, check out the 'It's Time' feature for women's soccer, by clicking
HERE. #ItsTime
TribeAthletics.com caught up with head coach
John Daly to discuss the team's wins last weekend,
Charlotte Hyland's big game, and the upcoming match against Virginia Tech. The video feature is available through the above link or by clicking
here.
Scouting the Tribe
W&M (4-0), which received 24 votes in the United Soccer Coach (formerly NSCAA) Top 25 Poll, looks to keep building on its season opening winning streak as they travel to Virginia Tech for its first true road match of the season. It is the first time since the 2011 season that the Tribe has been 4-0-0 to start the season. Redshirt sophomore
Sarah Segan leads the Tribe with seven points on three goals and an assist. Sophomore
Charlotte Hyland is just off of the pace scoring three goals and six points, while senior
Sami Grasso has six points on a goal and four assists. Sophomore
Katelyn Briguglio has seen action in goal in all four matches. She owns a 1.11 goals-against-average, 12 saves, and has won three matches.
Scouting the Hokies
Virginia Tech, which earned 30 votes in the United Soccer Coach Top 25 Poll this week, is unbeaten at 3-0-1 to start the season. The Hokies have topped San Diego (1-0), Charleston (4-0), and Georgia (1-0), while drawing Pepperdine (1-0). Alani Johnson leads the team with two goals and four points. Allyson Brown is second on the team with one goal, one assist, and three points. Six different Hokies have goals on the season. Mandy McGlynn has started all four matches in goal for VT. She owns a 0.23 goals-against-average with 15 saves, and two shutouts. The Hokies have allowed only goal this season.
Series History vs. Virginia Tech
Thursday's match with the Hokies will be the 15th time the two in-state rivals square off all-time. The Tribe leads the all-time series 11-3, but the Hokies took 2-1 decision last season in Williamsburg. Murielle Tiernan scored twice in the first half to lift VT to victory. Now senior
Rachel Moore converted a penalty kick for the lone Tribe goal.
What's Ahead
W&M returns home to close out the weekend as they host 2016 NCAA Tournament participant Wisconsin on Sunday, Sept 3.
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Weekly Awards
Sophomore
Charlotte Hyland made it 2-for-2 in weekly honors as she was CAA Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 28. Hyland registered her first career hat trick in the win over Bucknell after firing two shots in 75 minutes versus Fairleigh Dickinson. Previously, freshman
Erin Dailey took home W&M first weekly award of the season by being named the CAA Rookie of the Week for the week of Aug. 21. The freshman scored the game-winning goal against Providence, earned a pair of starts, and played 131 minutes in the midfield in the Tribe's win over Providence and Boston College.
Strong Start
William & Mary has opened the season 4-0 for the first time since the 2011 season. That year, the Tribe started its campaign 4-0-1. The last time W&M opened the season 5-0-0 was 2001 when the Tribe started 6-0.
National Honor Rolls in for Hyland
Sophomore
Charlotte Hyland was also tabbed to the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week for her effort against Bucknell. It was the first time the Tribe has had a player honored on that team since Nicole Baxter in 2015.
Segan Scores Early, Often
Redshirt sophomore
Sarah Segan has been racking up the goal numbers since joining the Tribe last season. In 24 career games, she has already scored 13 goals. This season, the Fogelsville, Pa. native has already scored three goals, including two in the win on Friday night against Fairleigh Dickinson. Of Segan's 13 career goals, 10 have come in the first half.
Tip of the Cap
Sophomore Sarah Hyland registered her first career hat trick in the team's win over Bucknell on Sunday, Aug. 27. It was the first Tribe hat trick since Samantha Cordum accomplished the feat in a 3-1 win over Northeastern on Sept. 27, 2015.
We Want Moore
Senior
Rachel Moore has been named to an All-CAA team following each of the her three previous seasons. An All-CAA Preseason selection, she has scored a goal for two points this season. Moore has appeared in 64 games (most active) with 62 starts. Moore has notched 16 goals, 13 assists, and 45 points.
Bank on Branton
Senior
Elysse Branton has been a mainstay in the Tribe's lineup for her entire career, but has enjoyed a very strong start to her final season in terms of points. Branton has already set a career-high with two goals and five points. On Friday night, she recorded her first multi-point night of her career when she scored the first goal, before assisting on the game-winner. The Sterling, Va. native has played in 61 career matches with 56 starts, and has added four goals, eight assists, and 16 points.
Slated for Second
The William & Mary women's soccer team was selected to finish second in the CAA in the 2017 CAA Preseason Poll voted on by the league's 10 head coaches. Defending champion Northeastern was selected to repeat, while Drexel and James Madison were selected in a tie for third, Hofstra (fifth), UNCW (sixth), College of Charleston (seventh), Delaware (tied for eighth), Elon (tied for eighth), and Towson (10th) rounded out the poll behind the Tribe.
Five for Fighting
The Green and Gold was well represented in the league's preseason all-conference awards, receiving a CAA-high five honorees. Seniors
Elysse Branton and
Rachel Moore as well as sophomore
Sarah Segan highlighted the awards with 2017 Preseason All-CAA honors, while senior
Haley Kent and junior
Mackenzie Kober earned honorable mention citations.
Familiar Faces
The Tribe welcomes back 21 players from last season's roster and including a good bulk of its scoring. W&M returns 80-percent of its goals and 90.5-percent of its points scorers from last year. The Tribe also returns its top five point scorers from last season.
Fresh Faces
Despite only losing four players from last year's roster, W&M welcomes 11 newcomers to the roster for the 2017 season. The Tribe welcomes one transfer – redshirt freshman
Lauren Kelly – and 10 true freshmen,
Meredith Beam,
Lorena Bugden,
Erin Dailey,
Page Frantz,
Sarah Haggerty,
Kelsey Hamer,
Mariana Hershner,
Alex Kuhnle,
Colleen Norton, and
Sophia Sanie.
Welcome Home
Former Tribe women's soccer player
Marsha Lycan '87 returns to Williamsburg as an assistant coach for the 2017 season. She appeared in 59 games for the Green and Gold, while she scored 12 goals, recorded seven assists, and 31 points. She helped the Tribe to the 1983 Division I ECAC Championship, before leading Tribe to three straight NCAA Tournaments from 1984-86. Lycan graduated from W&M with a degree psychology in 1987.
