WILLIAMSBURG, Va.—William & Mary (3-0-3) women's soccer begins CAA conference play with a trip to Drexel on Thursday before facing Delaware on the road Suday. The Tribe enters the contest after a historic non-conference slate that saw them go unbeaten for the first time in program history.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Both matches will be broadcast on FloFC.
TIRBE NOTES
Last Time Out:
The Tribe etched their name in the history books with a 1-1 draw at Old Dominion on Sunday night.
Zoe Doughty made some spectacular stops in the first half to keep things scoreless in the opening 45 minutes before the Tribe opened the scoring in the second half.
Mia Suchora broke through the Monarchs' backline and buried a left-foot strike past the ODU keeper to give W&M a 1-0 lead in the 59
th minute. ODU answered quickly however, tying things in the 64
th minute. Both teams had chances to break the tie down the stretch but were unable to capitalize.
Not Bad, Rook:
Lindsay Wilson put on a stellar performance in the Tribe's 4-0 win at home against George Mason last Thursday. The freshman scored the Tribe's first two goals and assisted on another for the first points of her college career. The effort earned Wilson the CAA's Rookie of the Week award, making her the second Tribe member to earn a CAA weekly honor this year.
Nora Green-Orset earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week in the first week of the season.
History in the Making:
As mentioned before, the Tribe completed their regular season non-conference schedule unbeaten for the first time in program history. The Green and Gold are also riding an eight-game unbeaten streak dating back to the final game of the regular season last year. That matches the Tribe's longest regular season unbeaten streak since 2015 when they finished the regular season with a streak of eight as well. That 2015 squad finished 14-5-3 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
A String of Firsts:
Four different members of the Tribe have scored first career goals in the last two matches. All of the tallies in the 4-0 win against Mason came via players who hadn't previously scored in their careers, with Wilson (two),
Maya Haghighi and
Ava Marvin picking up goals. Suchora's goal on Sunday at ODU was the first career score for the junior.
Hope You Like Cheesesteak!:
W&M will be playing a match in Philadelphia for the third time in their first seven contests this year, when they meet up with Drexel. The Tribe picked up a win in the season opener at Temple before playing Saint Joseph's to a 0-0 draw a couple of days later in Philly. Prior to those two games, the last time William & Mary played a non-conference match in Pennsylvania was 2018 at Bucknell.
Getting Defensive:
The goal allowed to ODU on Sunday was only the second goal scored against W&M this season. The Tribe have posted four clean sheets in their first six matches and rank first in the CAA in shutout percentage, goals against average (0.33) and save percentage (86.7%). The Green and Gold also rank 14
th in the nation in the goals against average category.
Series History:
Thursday marks the 22
nd meeting all-time between W&M and Drexel. The Tribe have dominated the series going 16-4-1 in the previous matchups dating back to 2002. The two teams didn't face each other last regular season, but the Dragons got the better of the Tribe in the CAA quarterfinals in Philly, 2-1. The Tribe's record is 7-3 against Drexel on the road.
William & Mary and Delaware renew a CAA rivalry that dates back to 1997. The Tribe own a 15-4-3 advantage over the Blue Hens all-time. The two teams didn't play last year with their last meeting coming in October of 2021. The Tribe won that game 1-0 in Newark, where they are 6-2-2 all-time.
Scouting the Dragons:
Drexel enters conference play with a solid 4-2-0 record after a victory at UMass Lowell on Sunday. The lone common opponent between the Dragons and Tribe is Saint Joe's, who Drexel beat 3-0. Goalkeeper, Joella Chase, is fresh off of winning the CAA's Defensive Player of the Week award for a squad that is 3-0-0 at home. One of the Dragons' two setbacks this season was against No. 14 Pittsburgh.
Scouting the Blue Hens:
Delaware is also unbeaten at home this year and carry a 3-2-1 record into conference play. They are fresh off a scoreless tie with Richmond and will kick off CAA play with a trip to Towson on Thursday. The Blue Hens' seven goals on the year have come from seven different goal scorers. Kristin Wolf has two assists and one goal to lead the team in points.
