WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary men's soccer opened the season in resounding fashion with a convincing 3-0 win over Saint Francis (PA) on Friday evening. Juniors Nathan Messer and Diba Nwegbo and graduate student Matt Thorsheim each found the back of the net as the Tribe picked up its first season-opening win at home since 2018.
 
Messer put the Tribe on top in the 19th minute, out-battling an SFU defender for the ball and then chipping it over the top of the goalkeeper from 15 yards out. Classmate Alfredo Bozalongo registered the assist on the play, providing the long service from near the midfield stripe.
 
Saint Francis (PA) pressured for the equalizer early the second half, and as the visitor's backline moved up, the Tribe caught them on the counter. Nwegbo set Thorsheim free down the middle of the pitch. The Bucknell grad transfer did well to touch around SFU goalkeeper Jonas Dieseler and slotted it home to increase the lead to 2-0 in the 61st minute.
 
Just over five and half minutes later, the Green and Gold capitalized on a Red Flash defensive miscue and Nwegbo made them pay. Off a failed clearance chance from SFU, junior Alexander Levengood got a free header and sent it toward the goal line where Nwegbo was to clean it up inside the six with a header to extend the margin to 3-0.
 
The Tribe defense picked up the clean sheet, holding down a Red Flash offense that entered the game averaging two goals per game. In 2019, SFU, which won the NEC regular-season title, ranked 52nd nationally in scoring at 1.75 goals per game. Sophomore goalkeeper Will Stack registered a career-best five saves to record his second career shutout.
 
W&M Starters - #1 Stack (GK), #6 Bozalongo, #7 Levengood, #9 Nwegbo, #11 Messer, #14 Knapp, #17 Salom, #18 Thorsheim, #19 Hosseinian, #21 Cooper, #23 Core
 
SFU Starters - #1 Dieseler, #2 Schoenberger, #3 Schellbach, #6 Wesling, #7 Ender, #8 Rigby, #9 Heron, #10 Thielman, #14 Lubino, #16 Charles, #27 Aschenbroich
 
Inside the Numbers
- The Red Flash outshot the Tribe, 15-12, but W&M put eight of its 12 shots on frame.
- Juniors Nathan Messer and Diba Nwegbo led the Tribe with four shots apiece.
- SFU tallied nine corner kicks compared to six for W&M.
 
Notes
Junior Diba Nwegbo recorded his first career game with a goal and an assist … He has three career goals and six career assists … Junior Nathan Messer scored his second career goal and both have been game-winners … Junior Alexander Levengood recorded his third career assist and it marked his 23rd career point … Junior Alfredo Bozalongo picked up his seventh career assist … Sophomore Will Stack picked up his second career shutout and posted a career-high five saves … Graduate student Matt Thorsheim, who started his first four years at Bucknell, scored his 15th collegiate goal … Sophomores Augie Cooper and Daniel Salom made their first career starts for the Tribe.
 
Up Next
The Tribe continues to season-opening four-match homestand, hosting George Washington on Tuesday, Sept. 14. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. from Martin Family Stadium.

All Tribe home matches will be streamed on FloFC. By following this link (flosports.tv/caa), CAA fans can sign up for an annual subscription to FloSports, which remains at a reduced rate of $95.88 per year ($7.99 per month) or a discounted monthly rate of $12.50.  Also, anyone who subscribes using a CAA member Institution domain (.edu) e-mail address will be eligible for a $6.99 subscription rate per month.  Any subscription provides access to all content that FloSports offers.