Scouting the Tribe
- The Tribe picked up an important three points in the CAA standings thanks to a 1-0 road victory at Delaware on Oct. 13. The victory kept W&M's hopes for a CAA Tournament spot alive and strong. Senior
Ryder Bell found classmate
Antonio Bustamante for the game-winner in the 88th minute, while the Tribe defense posted the shutout behind fifth-year senior
Sam Onyeador's career-high five saves.
- Senior
Antonio Bustamante has scored a goal in three of the Tribe's last four matches. He leads the team with 14 points on four goals and six assists. His assist total ranks 24th nationally, and he is 13th in the country in shots per game (3.9). Bustamante leads the CAA in assists and ranked fourth in points and eighth in goals.
- After missing three matches due to injury, senior
Ryder Bell returned to the Tribe lineup as a reserve against Northeastern on Oct. 6 and netted the equalizer in the 63rd minute. He started W&M's last two matches and notched the game-winning assist at Delaware. On the year, Bell leads the Tribe and ranks sixth in the CAA with five goals in nine matches. He is also sixth in the league in points (12).
- On Oct. 4, the Tribe earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for the 2017-18 academic year. It marked the fifth-straight season and seventh overall that W&M earned the distinction. The Tribe was one of 97 DI teams to earn the honor, posting a team GPA of 3.30. Coupled with the women's soccer team earning the distinction, W&M was one of 65 DI programs to have both men's and women's programs honored.
- Bustamante and Bell both rank among the NCAA Division I active leaders in points, goals and assists. Bustamante is fourth in career points (84), seventh in goals (34) and 25th in assists (16), while Bell is 11th in points (75), 16th in goals (28) and 18th in assists (19).
- Head coach
Chris Norris was named the W&M Alumni Association Coach of the Year at the Fall Awards Banquet in September. Norris won his third honor after guiding W&M to its eighth CAA Championship and 16th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017. He was also named the VaSID State Coach of the Year. The three W&M Alumni Association awards are tied for the most with long-time head football coach
Jimmye Laycock.
- Senior
Ryder Bell was one of 30 men's soccer student-athletes from across the country to be named a candidate for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An All-CAA and all-region player on the field, Bell was an Academic All-American in 2017. Within the Williamsburg community, Bell and the W&M soccer program have been heavily involved with Child Development Resources (CDR). CDR strives to inspire and empower children, families and early childhood professionals to reach their full potential, whatever their challenges, and serves approximately 1,200 children and their families each year.
- Bustamante, the CAA preseason Player of the Year, was one of 32 players named to the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List on Aug. 9. A consensus All-American in 2017, he was named a preseason First Team All-American by
Soccer America,
Top Drawer Soccer and
College Soccer News.
Scouting Virginia Tech
- Virginia Tech enters the match with the Tribe a 7-4-2 overall and 2-3-1 in ACC play thanks to a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh on Friday night. Sophomore Jon Ingason scored the game-winner, while junior David Sanz added the capper for the Hokies.
- The Hokies were ranked No. 15 nationally by Top Drawer Soccer on Monday and earned votes in the College Soccer News rankings. Last week, Tech received votes in the United Soccer Coaches national poll and was ranked No. 10 in the south region.
- Virginia Tech opened the season unbeaten through its first six matches, going 4-0-2, but is 3-4 in their last seven contests.
- As a team, the Hokies have scored 22 goals on the year, while allowing 14. Tech is being outshot by its opponents on average 15.1 to 12.5 per game.
- W&M and Virginia Tech have three common opponents in Longwood, NC State and North Carolina. Both teams went 1-2 against the group with wins over the Lancers.
- Sophomore Kristo Strickler leads the Hokies in points with 12 on five goals and two assists. Ingason and junior Nico Quashie each have four goals apiece for Tech. Ingason owns game-winners in three of the Hokies seven victories.
- Junior James Kasak tops the team in assists with four.
- Sophomore Mathijs Swaneveld has played every minute in goal for Virginia Tech. He owns a goals against average of 1.00 and ranks 32nd nationally in save percentage (.806) and saves per game (4.46). Swaneveld tops the ACC in saves (58) and ranks 12th nationally in total saves.
Series History: W&M vs. Virginia Tech
- W&M leads the all-time series with Virginia Tech at 11-3-2, including a 4-1 mark in Blacksburg.
- Over the last six meetings, the Hokies lead the series at 3-1-2. The teams met for the first time since 2007 last season in Williamsburg.
- In 2017, the Tribe topped the Hokies, 4-1, behind two goals and two assists from
Ryder Bell.
Antonio Bustamante added a goal and an assist as well.
- The last time W&M trekked to Blacksburg, then-No. 8 Tech downed the Tribe, 1-0, in 2008.
Onyeador On the Spot
- Redshirt senior goalkeeper
Sam Onyeador, who missed last season due to injury, has started the Tribe's last four matches. During that stretch, he has a 1.40 goals against average with 14 saves.
- He has not allowed a goal from the run of play over the last two contests with the lone marker during the stretch coming on a harsh penalty kick. Last week he stopped nine of 10 shots he faced, including four saves against JMU.
- Onyeador recorded his first career shutout at Delaware making a career-high five saves. He blocked two UD shots in the final two minutes to preserve the clean sheet and a key road win for the Tribe.
- Onyeador currently ranks eighth in the CAA in goals against average (1.46) and fifth in saves per game (3.2).
Difficult Schedule
- The Green and Gold's non-conference slate has been and continues to be a gauntlet. The Tribe's eight non-conference opponents have combined for a 53-34-10 record through Oct. 14.
- Six of those eight nonconference foes are currently inside the RPI top 100, including No. 4 North Carolina, No. 12 Virginia Tech, No. 19 NC State, No. 47 Coastal Carolina, No. 79 Old Dominion and No. 97 Villanova.
- Including CAA foes, 10 of the Tribe's 16 opponents are among the top 100, including six top-50 teams.
- Four CAA teams are currently in the RPI top 100, including No. 21 UNCW, No. 26 James Madison, No. 94 Hofstra and No. 95 Drexel.
Facing the ACC
- The Tribe faces its third ACC opponent of 2018 in Virginia Tech on Tuesday. It marks the fourth time in the last six years that W&M has played three ACC teams in a season, and it's the sixth consecutive season that the Tribe has faced multiple ACC opponents.
- Last season, W&M downed two ACC foes in N.C. State and Virginia Tech, who both advanced to the NCAA Tournament. It marked the fifth time in school history and second time under head coach
Chris Norris that the Tribe downed two ACC opponents in a season.
- The Green and Gold owns six wins against the ACC in the last eight years.
- During head coach
Chris Norris tenure, the Tribe owns nine wins and four ties against Power 5 Conference opponents.
Playing Extra Time
- The Tribe has played six overtime matches in its 12 contests of the season. W&M is 1-3-2 in extra time.
- The W&M school record for OT matches in a season is 10 set in 1998. The NCAA record is 14.
- The Green and Gold is one of 20 teams nationally to play six or more OT matches this season. The total ranks sixth in the country behind only Cal State Fullerton (8), Hartford (7), Holy Cross (7), Northwestern (7) and Penn (7).
In the Record Books
- Senior
Antonio Bustamante moved into the Tribe's all-time top 10 in both points (84) and goals (34) this season.
- In W&M's 2-2 draw with Northeastern, Bustamante scored his 33rd career goal to move into 10th place on the program's career goals list.
- He is now just one away from ninth and two shy of fifth (four players currently tied for fifth with 36 goals) on the career list.
- In the Tribe's 3-2 win over Longwood on Sept. 11, the senior midfielder moved into 10th on the career points list. He current sits at No. 10 with 84 points (34 goals and 16) and trails ninth by three and eighth by four.
- With his goal at Delaware, Bustamante notched his eighth career game-winning goal, which ranks 12th in program history.
Up Next
- The Tribe returns to CAA action when it hosts Drexel on Saturday, Oct. 20. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.
- Fans can watch the match for FREE in HD on Tribe Athletics TV.
