WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—The William & Mary men's soccer team hits the road Saturday night for a CAA matchup with UNC Wilmington, before taking on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Tuesday.
Game times are set for 7 p.m. and 6 p.m. respectively with Sunday's game on FloFC.
| Game #12 - William & Mary at Virginia Tech |
| Date |
Tuesday, Oct. 10 |
| Time |
6 p.m. |
| Location |
Blacksburg, Va. (Thompson Field) |
| Live Stats |
Live Stats |
| Official Web Sites |
W&M | VT | CAA | NCAA |
| Statistics |
W&M | VT |
TRIBE NOTES
Last Time Out
W&M (2-6-2, 1-2-1 CAA) hosted their 'Be The Match' game in support of bone marrow transplants last Saturday against Drexel. The Tribe also honored the 1983 team, who won the ECAC South championship at halftime. An 89
th minute goal from the Dragons resulted in 2-2 tie in an evenly matched contest. The Tribe scored early via
Evan Rabush and took a 1-0 lead to halftime before Drexel answered in the 47
th minute.
Gabe Ruitenberg scored his first career goal from outside the box to put the hosts ahead in the 81
st minute prior to Drexel's late equalizer.
Lucas Caldas and
Aidan Morrison picked up assists on the Tribe goals, and
Cole McNally picked up four saves in net.
Not Bad Rooks
Both goals against Drexel came from freshman with Rabush scoring his second of the year and Ruitenberg his first. A third of the Tribe's goals this season come from rookies with
Aidan Morrison adding a tally earlier this year. The last time the Green and Gold had a pair of freshmen score in the same game was Oct. 2015 against UNC Asheville, when Ryder Bell and Marcel Berry scored.
When the Rubber Hits the Road
The Tribe have found mixed success in the pivotal month of October in recent history. Since 2018 W&M is 13-12-3 in the final month of the regular season and will look to improve on that mark to keep their postseason hopes alive. Four conference games remain with the Tribe sitting one point out from a tie for the last spot in the CAA Tournament.
Nip and Tuck
Heading down the homestretch in conference play the CAA Tournament picture is still hanging in the balance. Stony Brook leads the way with 11 points followed by Hofstra, Drexel and Monmouth three points behind in a tie for second. A trio of teams, Charleston, Northeastern and Campbell, are tied for fifth with five points, with the Tribe, Delaware and UNCW tied for eighth with four points. The top six teams will make the CAA postseason. Three of W&M's final four conference matches are against teams ahead of them in the standings.
Series History
The Tribe and the Seahawks (5-3-2, 1-2-1 CAA) have a long-running history dating back to 1977, with William & Mary leading the series 36-10-6. UNCW won the most recent contest last October 2-0 in Williamsburg and have been on the better side of recent matchups more often than not. The Seahawks have won seven of the last 11 meetings after only beating W&M three times from 1977-2012.
As Commonwealth foes, William & Mary and Virginia Tech (3-3-3, 2-1-1 ACC) have met 18 times with the Tribe leading the series 11-5-2. The Hokies won the two most recent meetings, with the last being in Williamsburg in 2021 by a 3-2 score. The Tribe won the first 10 games in the series but have only beaten VT once since the turn of the century, coming in 2017.
Scouting the Seahawks
Sitting tied with the Tribe just out of the CAA playoff picture, UNCW enters the pivotal conference match off a loss at first place Stony Brook on Saturday. Their lone CAA triumph on the year came against Campbell 4-0 on Sept. 23. The Seahawks have yet to lose at home, where they play three of their next four games. Gabe Mercer is UNCW's top scoring threat with four tallies on the season.
Scouting the Hokies
Virginia Tech recently had a three-game win streak snapped, losing to Clemson last Friday. The loss to the Tigers was the Hokies first loss since August. Their resume includes a win over No. 5 Louisville on Sept. 15. Before playing the Tribe, VT hosts No. 20 Pittsburgh on Friday. The Hokies are 2-0-3 at home this season. Noe Uwimana leads the team in scoring with two goals and three assists for seven points.
