By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
When the Colonial Athletic Association's preseason women's soccer poll was released seven weeks ago, UNCW and Hofstra were first and second. Both logical choices, given that the Seahawks finished the previous regular season in first place and the Pride won the conference tournament.
 
But guess what? William & Mary, the ninth pick in that same poll, just beat both of them in a five-day span. A stifling defense and freshman Ivey Crain's goal in the 70th minute were the difference in the Tribe's 1-0 win over the Seahawks Thursday night at Martin Family Stadium.
 
W&M coach Julie Shackford isn't a big believer in polls. Yet she recognizes what her team, which now stands atop the CAA standings, did this week sends a clear statement.
 
"We're going to be able to compete with anyone," Shackford said. "There are always going to be tight games and really contested battles, but I do think we have kind of another gear this year.
 
"We have some newcomers in the attack and we're a little more mature. We know how to manage the game better. The team is hungry for sure."
 
It was the seventh shutout of the season for W&M (6-4-2, 2-0-1 CAA), which defeated Hofstra 2-0 on Sunday. The Tribe has one-point lead in the standings over Drexel, Charleston and Elon.
 
W&M allowed only two shots on goal, both of which goalie Zoe Doughty turned back with relative ease. The game had scoreless tie written all over it until Crain scored her seventh goal of the season in remarkable fashion.
 
It happened after forward Madison Moon, a thorn in Wilmington's side all night, drew a foul resulting in a free kick about 35 yards from the goal. Kayleigh Shackford lofted her kick to the front of the 18-yard box, where Moon headed the ball to the right of the goal, apparently headed out of bounds.
 
Crain got to the ball and kicked it with her right foot, sending over goalkeeper Hanna Wise's head to the other side of the net. It snuck in past the left post to give W&M a 1-0 lead.
 
It was highlight-worthy, but Crain said it wasn't by design.
 
"To be honest, I was just trying to get a foot on it," said Crain, whose seven goals are the most by a Tribe true freshman since 2011. "I got pretty lucky."
 
There were still 20-plus minutes remaining, and crazy things can happen on the soccer pitch. But the Tribe didn't let this one get away.
 
"Everyone was working so hard, and you could feel the goal coming," Moon said. "When we got it, it felt like perfect. We were all working so hard, so it was bound to happen at some point."
 
W&M outshot Wilmington 3-1 in the first half with each team having one shot on goal. The best scoring chance of the first 45 minutes for either team came when Kenna Zier took a pass from Moon just outside the 6-yard box. Her header sailed over the goal post.
 
It's been an outstanding two weeks for William & Mary, which is 4-0-1 in its last five games. The Tribe has given up only one goal in those 450 minutes.
 
"We can definitely keep this up with our team culture and everything that's going on," Crain said. "Everybody is super-amped. We know we have to stay level-headed so we don't let all these wins we're getting get ahead of us. We take every game like it's our last, and I think that's how we do so well."
 
Coming up: William & Mary will host Charleston Sunday at noon. The Cougars (8-4, 2-1) are coming off a 3-0 win over Hampton University Thursday night.