WILLIAMSBURG, Va.— After taking the week off, the William & Mary men's soccer team heads to No. 17 Elon for a stern road test after a 2-1-0 start in conference play.
TRIBE NOTES
Last Time Out
The Tribe offense came alive under the Saturday night lights of Martin Family Stadium against UNCW for a 4-0 win. W&M started the scoring early with a 12
th minute goal via
Sam Delgado assisted by
Evan Rabush and
Alexandros Katsari-Hoefer. Five minutes later
Tre Barrett doubled the Tribe lead, taking a feed from
Aidan Morrison and ripping a shot from the top of the box. After taking a 2-0 lead to the half
Diogo Branco reignited the offense in the 47th minute for his first goal of the season while Rabush earned his second helper of the evening. Barrett provided the cherry on top of the victory in the 86
th minute off an assist from
Augie Cooper for his second goal of the game to make the final score 4-0.
Firing Up the Offense
The four goals for W&M (4-5-0, 2-1-0 CAA) on Saturday were the most they have scored since 2019. The last time the Tribe scored four or more goals in a shutout victory was also a 4-0 decision, beating VCU by that scoreline in 2016.
Fabulous Frosh
Tre Barrett has wasted no time to make his impact felt in his first collegiate season. The Hampton, Va. native netted a goal in both the first and second half of the win over UNCW on Saturday. He is the first freshman to score to score twice in a game for the Tribe since
Alfredo Bozalongo in 2019 against Elon. Barrett currently is tied for the team lead in goals with
Sam Delgado at three.
Spread the Wealth
Seven different players earned a point in Saturday's offensive outburst against the Seahawks. The last time that the Tribe had seven or more players pick up a point in the same game was in 2018, six years ago, in a 4-1 win over Charleston.
Up for a Challenge
With George Mason making an appearance in the latest national polls, three of the Tribe's five losses are against currently ranked teams. The visit to Elon on Saturday will be W&M's third crack at a ranked opponent this season, having already faced Hofstra and Penn while they were ranked. Assuming current No. 3 North Carolina remains in the national polls when the Tribe welcomes them to Williamsburg in 10 days, meaning W&M will play a minimum of four ranked games this season, their most since 2018.
NC State spent time in the polls earlier this season and will come to Martin Family Stadium later this month, meaning that the Tribe's overall schedule features six teams who have spent time ranked this year.
Been a Minute
The Tribe's 2-1-0 start in CAA play marks the first time W&M has been victorious in two of their first three conference matches since 2013. That edition of the Tribe finished 4-2-1 in CAA play and made an NCAA Tournament appearance after losing in the conference championship match.
Scouting the Phoenix
Saying the Phoenix (7-2-1, 3-1-0 CAA) started out the 2024 campaign strong may be an understatement as Elon was one of the last unbeaten teams in the country before a 2-1 loss to No. 14 Hofstra. The Phoenix rattled off six consecutive victories to begin the season before tying Wake Forest. They currently are looking to bounce back from a two-game losing streak after High Point took them down Tuesday at home.
History with the Phoenix
The Tribe holds the advantage in the overall series 7-4-2 over Elon, but recent matches have been hotly contested. Seven straight meetings between the two sides have been decided by one goal or less. The Tribe holds 3-2-2 lead in the series over that span. The last meeting was in 2022 and ended in a 0-0 draw at Elon.
