Scouting the Tribe
W&M enters the contest with North Carolina riding a four-match unbeaten streak following a 1-0-1 week. The Tribe posted a 2-1 victory at George Washington on second-half goals from senior
William Eskay and junior
Ryder Bell, before playing Drexel to a scoreless draw in the teams' CAA opener on Saturday. Senior goalkeeper
Phil Breno made a season-high four saves against the Dragons to pick up his second shutout of the season and ninth of his Tribe career. Bell's goal against GW was his second of the season, which is tied for the CAA lead. Junior
Marcel Berry, who assisted on Eskay's goal, ranks second in the CAA with two assists on the season. Eskay ranks second on the team with three points on a goal and an assist. The Green and Gold came in at No. 8 in the Midwest Region poll released on Tuesday. Included in the Tribe's four-match unbeaten streak was a 3-2 overtime win over N.C. State, who is currently ranked No. 18 in the
Soccer America Top 25. Sophomore
Julian Ngoh headed home the winner in the 93rd minute to propel the Green and Gold to the 3-2 victory. Prior to the season, the Tribe was named the favorite to win the Colonial Athletic Association by vote of the league's head coaches. W&M received five of the league's nine first-place votes.
Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina enters Wednesday night's match-up at 4-1 on the year following back-to-back 2-1 road wins at UNCG and Pittsburgh. In its most recent win over the Panthers, sophomore Cam Lindley scored the game-winner in the 53rd minute. The Tar Heels, which lone loss came at UNCW, 1-0, on Sept. 1, were the preseason ACC favorite after advancing to the College Cup Final Four with a 14-3-4 record last season. UNC is ranked No. 6 nationally by
College Soccer News and No. 8 by the United Soccer Coaches. Jelani Pieters leads UNC with four goals and nine points, while Lindley owns two goals and three assists. The Tar Heels have had nine different goal scorers this season. Three players have played in goal for UNC in 2017. Junior James Pyle started the first two games, while redshirt freshman Drew Romig started the last three. Freshman Alec Smir earned the win playing the entire second half at Pitt. The Tar Heels team goals against average is 1.20.
Series History: W&M vs. North Carolina
- The Tribe and Tar Heels meet for the fifth-straight season and the 18th time overall.
- UNC leads the all-time series at 13-2-2.
- In the last four meetings, the Tribe owns a win and a draw against the Tar Heels. The Green and Gold is 1-0-1 in its last two trips to UNC, pulling out a 1-0 win in 2013 and a 1-1 draw in 2015. Last season, North Carolina posted a 4-1 win in Williamsburg.
- Junior
Ryder Bell scored the Tribe's lone goal in the 2015 tie off an assist from senior
William Eskay. Last season, Eskay scored the team's goal in Williamsburg.
Facing the ACC
- The Tribe faces a trio of ACC opponents during the 2017 campaign. Along with its win over N.C. State on Aug. 28 and the trip to North Carolina on Wednesday, the Green and Gold hosts Virginia Tech on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
- 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 faces 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.
Defense is the Name of the Game
- The Tribe has allowed just one goal over its last three games, posting a pair of shutouts against Loyola (Md.) and Drexel. The Tribe's goals against average (GAA) over the three-match stretch is just 0.31.
- The Green and Gold ranks third in the CAA in both overall GAA (0.76) and shutouts (2).
- Senior goalkeeper
Phil Breno has stopped 10 of the 11 shots on goal during the last three games. He posted a season-high four saves in the shutout at Drexel. Breno currently ranks third in the CAA in GAA (0.76) and shutouts (2) along with coming in fifth in save percentage (.765).
Playing a Challenging Schedule
- Heading into the 2017 season, the Tribe's schedule looked like a difficult slate and the early returns have reinforced that sentiment. Including both of this week's opponents (North Carolina on Wednesday and Campbell on Saturday), Tribe's first seven opponents are a combined 19-9-3 on the year, good for a winning percentage of 66.1.
- Four of the Tribe's opening seven opponents are all ranked in the top 10 of their respective regions. Loyola (Md.) is No. 2 in the Northeast Region, while Michigan is No. 4 in the Midwest Region. North Carolina and N.C. State come in at No. 4 and No. 10 in the South Region.
- Those same four opponents are all nationally-ranked or listed among the also receiving votes category in the major collegiate soccer polls. North Carolina and Michigan are ranked in all four polls. The Tar Heels are ranked as high as No. 6 by
College Soccer News, while Michigan is No. 18 according to the
United Soccer Coaches. N.C. State is ranked No. 18 nationally by
Soccer America, and Loyola is receiving votes in the
United Soccer Coaches poll.
Top Drawer Soccer Conference Top 20
- The Tribe placed three players among the top 10 and five total in the top 20 in the Colonial Athletic Association's top players according to the web site
Top Drawer Soccer.
- Both the Tribe and Delaware led the CAA with three top-10 selections and five total top-20 picks.
- Junior
Antonio Bustamante was selected as the top player in the league by the organization followed by
Ryder Bell at No. 3,
Marcel Berry at No. 6,
William Eskay at No. 13 and
Tanner Shane at No. 20.
On the Road Again
- The Tribe opened its season-long three-match road trip with a 2-1 win at George Washington on Sept. 5. After a scoreless draw at Drexel on Saturday, the Green and Gold wraps up the stretch against North Carolina on Wednesday in Cary, N.C.
- It marks the third time in the last five years that the Tribe has embarked on a three-match road trip. In both 2013 and 2015, W&M went 2-1 during its road swings.
- In 2015, the Green and Gold posted 3-2 wins at Longwood and Navy, before dropping its CAA opener at Charleston, 3-1.
- In 2013, the Tribe posted back-to-back nationally-ranked wins at Elon, 1-0, and No. 1-ranked North Carolina, 1-0. The third game of the stretch W&M dropped a 2-1 decision at Drexel in its CAA opener.
Up Next
The Tribe returns home to host Campbell, which is 4-1 on the year entering its Tuesday match at Old Dominion, on Saturday, Sept. 16. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. from Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. The game will be streamed online at Tribe Athletics TV via Stretch Internet. The video and live stats link will be available at TribeAthletics.com.
