WILLIAMSBURG,Va. - A strike from junior
Kayleigh Shackford and five second-half saves from freshman
Morgan Wood were the difference in William & Mary women's soccer's 1-0 win over East Carolina (4-4) on Sunday afternoon at Martin Family Stadium.
In the 17th minute, sophomore
Ginny Delacruz won the ball in the midfield, taking it away from an ECU attacker. She fed it forward to Shackford, who took a couple of touches and sent a scorching right-footed shot from 25 yards out that snuck under the bar to give the Tribe (2-4) an early 1-0 lead. The goal was Shackford's team-leading second of the season, while the assist was the first of Delacruz's career.
Sophomore
Grace Lemley began the game in net for the Tribe and was perfect making one save in the opening 45 minutes. In the second, Wood made her collegiate debut, playing all 45 minutes. The Tribe rookie made five saves including denying a pair of close-range chances from ECU's Annabelle Abbott. The Tribe's backline of senior
Addie Puskar, sophomore
Ginny Delacruz and freshmen
Riley Friesen and
Emma D'Alesandro enjoyed strong performances in helping the Tribe to its first clean sheet of the season.
After W&M held a 5-4 advantage in shots in the opening half, East Carolina turned up the pressure, outshoting the Tribe 12-1 in the second and 16-6 for the game. The Tribe generated three corner kicks, all in the second half, compared to two for ECU.
Quotable
"I'm so proud of our effort today. We showed a lot of resolve and held a very athletic ECU team off the board. I give credit to
Ginny Delacruz for stepping in and winning a ball and finding Kayleigh (Shackford) for the goal. Our whole defense played great, including our backline of
Addie Puskar,
Riley Friesen,
Ginny Delacruz and
Emma D'Alesandro, who worked hard for each other. Our freshman back
Emma D'Alesandro dealt with baptism by fire and had a great debut. Freshman
Morgan Wood had a great second half, managing the game and making two key saves." – Head coach
Julie Shackford
Up Next
The Tribe will be back at Martin Family Stadium for a 7 p.m. Saturday night (Sept. 18) kick-off with No. 24 Georgetown.