Scouting the Tribe
- The Tribe is 2-4 on the year following a 2-0 setback to No. 24 Coastal Carolina on Sept. 21. W&M narrowly missed taking the lead twice in the first half, hitting the cross bar and then hitting the post before the ball was cleared off the line. The Chants scored twice in the final 15 minutes to pull out the win.
- In the initial NCAA RPI released on Monday, the Green and Gold came in at No. 41. The Tribe was second in the CAA and one of the league's five top-100 programs.
- The Green and Gold has played a grueling non-conference slate with its first six opponents, going a combined 30-13. Three of the Tribe's first six opponent are currently ranked in the national top 25 and have RPIs in the top 20 (No. 5 North Carolina, No. 10 Coastal Carolina, No. 17 NC State).
• In the win over Longwood on Sept. 11, W&M scored twice over an 88-second stretch in the final five minutes to rally and force overtime, before posting a double overtime 3-2 win. Senior
Antonio Bustamante scored the game-winner in the 109th minute on a free kick.
• Senior
Ryder Bell leads the Tribe and ranks second in the CAA and 56th nationally with four goals on the year. He is second in the CAA with nine points as well. He ranks among the top 20 active NCAA Division I players in goals, assists and points. He is ninth in points (72) and 14th in goals (27) and 16th in assists (18).
• Bustamante, who had a goal and an assist vs. Longwood, leads the country in assists per game (1.0), while coming in fifth in total assists (6). He has assisted on six of the Tribe's nine goals this season, and his six assists are already a career high.
• Bustamante 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.
• W&M was selected as the preseason favorite to win the CAA for the second-straight year by vote of league coaches on Aug. 16. The Tribe was the unanimous selection, garnering the eight first-place votes from opposing coaches and tallying the maximum number of points with 64.
• Bustamante was named the preseason CAA Player of the Year for the second-straight season. He was joined on the 12-member preseason All-CAA team by Bell and senior
Marcel Berry for the third year in a row.
Scouting Elon
- Elon enters the week at 3-4 on the year following a 3-2 overtime setback at Drexel on Saturday. The Phoenix have dropped three straight adding losses to Charlotte, 4-0, and UNCG, 1-0 in double OT.
- Prior to its three-match losing streak, Elon won three in a row, including victories over No. 20 FIU, 3-0, Rutgers, 8-1, and High Point, 2-1.
- A total of 11 different Phoenix players have scored the team's 15 combined goals.
- Junior Inigo Bronte leads Elon with seven points on three goals and an assist. All his points came in the 8-1 victory over Rutgers on the way to him earning CAA Player of the Week.
- Senior goalkeeper Matthew Jegier has started all seven matches this season. He owns a 1.72 GAA with 16 saves and a shutout. Jegier, who was an All-CAA First Team pick last season, was named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award earlier this year.
- Junior defender Luke Matthews was an All-CAA Second Team selection last season and was named to the league's preseason team.
- Senior Jack Willbye and freshman Jack Edwards lead the Phoenix with two assists apiece.
Series History: W&M vs. Elon
- The Tribe leads the all-time series with Elon at 6-2-1, including a 2-1 mark in Elon. The Green and Gold has outscored the Phoenix, 11-6, in the nine all-time meetings.
- W&M is 3-1-1 against Elon since they joined the CAA in 2014.
- Last season,
Graham Guidry scored the game-winner in the 66th minute as the Tribe downed the Phoenix, 1-0, in Williamsburg.
Julian Ngoh assisted on the goal.
- The Tribe topped the Phoenix in the last meeting at Elon, 1-0, in the 2016 CAA Quarterfinals.
Antonio Bustamante scored the game-winner in the 18th minute.
CAA Opener
- The Green and Gold will play on the road for the fifth time in the last six years to start the CAA ledger. In fact, Saturday marks the ninth time in the last 11 years that the Tribe's conference opener has been away from Williamsburg.
- W&M was originally slated to open CAA play at home against Charleston on Sept. 14, but the match was postponed due to Hurricane Florence.
- The Tribe played Drexel to a 0-0 draw in Philadelphia to open league play last season.
- W&M is in search of its first victory in a CAA opener since downing UNCW, 1-0, in Wilmington during the 2011 campaign.
Norris Named W&M Alumni Association Coach of the Year
- Head coach
Chris Norris was named the W&M Alumni Association Coach of the Year at the Fall Awards Banquet.
- Norris, who is in his 15th season as the program's head man, guided W&M to its eighth Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship and 16th NCAA Tournament appearance last season. He was also named the VaSID State Coach of the Year for his efforts.
- It marked the third time that Norris has earned the Alumni Association honor, which is tied for the most with long-time head football coach
Jimmye Laycock. Norris took home the honor in 2009 and 2011 as well.
Bell Named Senior CLASS Award Candidate
- 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 acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The candidate group will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and the winner, by vote of a nationwide panel of media, coaches and fans, will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Men's College Cup in December.
- Bell is a two-time All-CAA selection, including first team honors last season, a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team selection and a three-time Virginia Sports Information Director's All-State Second Team selection. He ranks among the top 15 among active NCAA Division I players in points, goals and assists.
- An economics major with a minor in marketing, Bell became the 10th W&M men's soccer player to be named a Google Cloud/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American, earning third-team honors in 2017. He was named the 2018 winner of W&M's prestigious Bruce Davidson Memorial Scholarship.
- 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. He has volunteered with CDR and tutored Math at Hornsby Middle School.
In the Record Books
- With his three points on a goal and an assist vs. Longwood, senior
Antonio Bustamante moved into 10th place on the Tribe's career points list (78) passing Jon Tuttle (1985-88).
- He is only nine points away from ninth place on the list held by Phil Hucles (2000-03) with 87 career points.
- Bustamante scored his 31st career goal against Longwood. He is only two goals shy of the No. 10 spot on that list behind Rob Olsen (1977-80).
- Bustamante ranks fourth among active NCAA DI players in career points, sixth in goals and 21st in assists (16).
Youth is Served
- Despite returning a veteran lineup, including 16 upperclassmen and eight starters back from 2017, the Tribe's freshman class has made an impact in 2018. Seven Green and Gold rookies have seen action this season, including six earning starting nods.
- Freshman goalkeeper
Connor Andrews started each of the first six matches for W&M. He posted a shutout with four saves in the opener against Saint Joseph's. In the Tribe's double OT setback at No. 4 NC State, Andrews made four saves, including a 1-on-1 breakaway in the 10th minute and denying a penalty kick in the 39th minute.
- In the Tribe's match with No. 24 Coastal Carolina, the Tribe's starting lineup featured four freshmen. Along with Andrews in goal, freshman
John Eberle received his second start, while rookies
Devin McCarthy and
Zachary Hosseinian earned their first career starting nods.
- Redshirt freshman midfielder
Derin Kokuuslu has started four of the Tribe's six matches, while freshmen
James Bradley has appeared in five matches with one start.
- McCarthy and
John Andrew Eskay registered their first career points and made an impact in the Tribe's 3-2 win over Longwood. McCarthy, who made his first career appearance, assisted on W&M's first goal, and Eskay assisted on the equalizer thanks to a nice run down the left flank.
Up Next
- The Tribe continues CAA action on Saturday, Sept. 29, when it heads to Hofstra. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.
- Fans can catch all the action on CAA.TV.
