WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—The William & Mary (2-5-1, 1-1-0) men's soccer team hits the road Saturday to take on No. 24 Hofstra at 5 p.m. The match will be broadcast on FloFC if weather cooperates.
TRIBE NOTES
Last Time Out
The Tribe was blanked for just the second time this season in a 1-0 loss Tuesday against non-conference opponent High Point. W&M fought off a rapid Panthers attack for the majority of the game before conceding the game-winning tally in the 86
th minute. HPU owned the shot total 15-7.
Against the Nation's Best
W&M is no stranger to taking on nationally ranked teams in recent history. With Hofstra ranked No. 24 in the coaches' poll, it will be the sixth time since 2019 the Tribe faces a ranked opponent. The Green and Gold have had decent success in those matchups, going 2-3-1 during that time frame. Their last meeting with a ranked team was when they played No. 19 New Hampshire on Aug. 31, losing 4-2. The Tribe's last win against a top-25 team was last season, when they beat No. 10 Wake Forest. W&M's last match with a ranked CAA opponent was 2019 against No. 21 UNCW in the CAA semifinals, losing 2-1.
Just a Bump in the Road
The Tribe have been shutout in two of their last three matches after scoring in their first five contests. Until the recent scoring drought W&M had been a solid attacking team, outshooting their opponents five times in eight matches. The last time the Tribe were shutout in back-to-back games was the COVID-effected 2021 spring season.
Keep Your Friends Close, but Enemies Closer
Early into conference play the CAA table is condensed near the top. Stony Brook sits atop the standings with seven points but are only four points clear of the Tribe in sixth place. The Green and Gold are only one point out of the three-way-tie for third between Delaware, Drexel and Northeastern. The Huskies represent the Tribe's first CAA victory last weekend in Williamsburg.
Series History
The Tribe and Hofstra have a quite lengthy, but evenly matched, history. W&M holds a 12-11-4 all-time advantage over the Pride despite being 0-4-1 over the last five meetings. The last Tribe victory in the series was 2017 in Hempstead, where they are 3-6-2 all-time.
Scouting the Pride
Aside from being ranked nationally, Hofstra has been slotted first in the coaches' Atlantic Region poll the last four weeks. They enter at 5-1-2 on the season after a non-conference win against UMBC and a tie against Campbell. The Pride have drawn both their CAA matches so far, tying Stony Brook in the conference opener. Their lone loss was against Fairleigh Dickinson on Aug. 28.
