WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Winners of two in a row, William & Mary men's soccer heads back to the
Palmetto State for the second time in a week to take on Sun Belt Conference favorite Coastal Carolina on Saturday night. The teams square off for the fifth-straight year in a match that will kickoff at 7 p.m. from the CCU Soccer Complex.
Scouting the Tribe
- The Tribe is coming off back-to-back shutout victories to improve to 2-4-2 on the year. Last week, W&M topped Patriot League favorite Loyola Maryland, 2-0, before picking up a Colonial Athletic Association road win at Charleston, 2-0, on Saturday.
- Junior
Sam Golan and freshman
Nathan Messer picked up weekly CAA honors for their efforts last week. Golan was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week thanks to a pair of shutouts and his first career game with a goal and an assist at Charleston. Messer picked up the CAA Rookie of the Week award tallying the game-winning goal at Charleston and assisting on the winner in the win over Loyola.
- Golan was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week as well. It marked the second time this season that W&M had a player selected to the team after freshman goalkeeper
Kieran Baskett earned the nod after W&M's 1-1 draws with NC State and UNCW.
- In the win over Charleston, the Tribe scored twice off free kicks over a seven-minute second-half span. Freshman
Alfredo Bozalongo recorded an assist on both goals. Golan redirected the first chance to the head of Messer, while junior back headed in the second. It marked the first collegiate points for Bozalongo and was Messer's first career goal and game-winner as well.
- In the win over Loyola, W&M scored twice over an eight-minute, second-half span. Senior
Julian Ngoh scored for the second time in three matches, while freshman
Diba Nwegbo picked up his first marker. Sophomore
Derin Kokuuslu recorded his first career point with an assist off a free kick on Nwegbo's marker.
- Baskett, who was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16, ranks second in the CAA in saves (35), save percentage (.761) and saves per game (4.38), while coming in third in shutouts (2) and fourth in goals against average (1.30). His save total ranks 26th nationally as of Oct. 1.
- Baskett tallied a career-high 11 saves against UNCW, which were the most for a W&M player since 1998 when Adin Brown tallied 12 against St. John's. The total was the most in a CAA game since 2015.
- Freshman
Alexander Levengood ranks fifth in the CAA with three goals and 10th in points per game (0.75). He tallied markers at High Point, against UNCW, and at Drexel.
- Ngoh is tied for Levengood for the team lead in points with six on two goals and two assists. He ranks seventh in the CAA in assists and 10th in points per game.
- Each of the last six games, the Tribe started five freshmen. It marks the first time five rookies started for W&M since 2015. In total, six true freshmen (
Marcos Villeda, Bozalongo, Nwegbo, Messer, Baskett and Levengood) have started at least one game this season. It marks the most true freshmen to start games in a season since 2011.
- In total, 55.7 percent of the Tribe's starts this season (49-of-88) have come from its underclassmen – freshmen and sophomores. The rookies own 37 of those starts.
Scouting Coastal Carolina
- The Chanticleers enter the weekend at 4-4-1 on the year and have dropped their last two matches. Coastal dropped 1-0 decision at No. 8 Kentucky on Sept. 28 and at home to USC Upstate on Tuesday.
- CCU is 2-1-1 on the year at home with wins over Campbell, 1-0, and Radford, 3-2, to go along with a 1-1 draw against VCU.
- The Chants moved into the national top 25 after picking up nationally-ranked wins over No. 22 Oregon State, 2-1, and No. 20 Portland, 1-0, in Oregon to open the year.
- Coastal Carolina was the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
- Senior forward Tsiki Ntsabeleng was selected as the preseason Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year after earning first-team honors last season to go along with the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year award. Senior midfielder Jeranimo Power was a preseason All-Sun Belt selection as well.
- Freshman forward Sam Snaith leads Coastal with four goals on the year, while juniors Tyrone Mondi and Claudio Reppeto each of two goals and an assist
- Junior midfielder DZ Harmon leads the team with three assists.
- Senior Alberto Ciroi has played every minute in goal for CCU and owns a goals against average of 1.39 to go with 28 saves and two shutouts.
Series History: W&M vs. Coastal Carolina
- The series between the Tribe and Chanticleers is all tied up at 3-3-1. The Chanticleers have outscored the Green and Gold, 12-9, in the previous seven meetings.
- It marks the fifth-straight year the teams have met.
- Last season, Coastal picked up a 2-0 win in Williamsburg thanks to a pair of second-half goals.
- The last meeting in Conway, S.C., the team's played to a 1-1 draw.
Up Next
- The Tribe returns to Williamsburg for a pair of home matches next week.
- W&M welcomes Elon on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. in a CAA match.
- The Green and Gold plays host to state rival Old Dominion on Saturday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m.
- Both matches will be broadcast for FREE on CAA.TV.
