WILLIAMSBURG, Va.— The William & Mary men's soccer team hits the road Friday to open its CAA schedule at Campbell before welcoming Rutgers on Monday for the Tribe's home opener.
Both games will be broadcast on FloCollege with kick set for 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Monday.
Clear Bag Policy and Metal Detectors
Furthering its commitment to a first class and secure environment at home athletic events, William & Mary will implement the use of walk-through metal detectors at the entrances to athletic venues (both ticketed and non-ticketed events) beginning in the fall of 2025. This enhanced security method mirrors standard practice at most major professional and intercollegiate athletic events throughout the country and compliments the
Clear Bag Policy already in place. Fans will proceed through metal detectors prior to having their tickets scanned or entering a venue for non-tickets events. Entrants will not need to remove items such as belts, cell phones, coins, jackets, jewelry, watches, wallets, shoes or other small objects. If additional screening is necessary, security staff will ask the individual to proceed to a secondary screening area, where they will be asked to divest themselves of certain items and pass through again until clear.
TRIBE NOTES
Last Time Out
The Tribe began its season with a 1-1 draw on the road against Navy on Monday night. The game was very evenly matched with the Midshipmen getting on the board first in the 28
th minute. W&M picked up its offensive pressure but was stymied for the remainder of the half. The Tribe's breakthrough came in the 70
th minute when
Diogo Branco lofted a ball to the top of the box that was chested down by
Gabe Ruitenberg.
Aidan Morrison was in the right spot at the right time taking the touch from Ruitenberg and burying the chance to make the score level at 1-1.
Karan Sobti, making his first career start in goal, made some nice saves down the stretch to send the Green and Gold home with a road result. Shots were 9-7 in favor of W&M.
A Look Back
After a 2-1 start in 2024 the Tribe began to be riddle with injuries that saw the season come to an end with a 5-10-1, 3-4-1 CAA mark. W&M's schedule, per usual, was no joke last season, playing five nationally ranked opponents.
The incoming transfer of
Sam Delgado paid dividends for
Chris Norris' club a year ago, with the junior scoring five goals and totaling 12 points to lead the team on the season.
Three is a Crowd, Unless its Preseason Honors
A trio of W&M players earned CAA preseason honors last week, with
Lucas Caldas,
Aidan Morrison and
Evan Rabush all garnering All-CAA Preseason honorable mentions.
Caldas has now earned preseason All-CAA honors in back-to-back seasons after being a member of the Preseason All-CAA team in 2024. The senior forward made his impact felt in limited action last season, scoring two goals with two assists in the first seven games before missing the remainder of the year with injury.
An All-CAA Rookie Team member in 2023, Morrison is a preseason honorable mention for the second consecutive season posting seven points via three goals and an assist a year ago. Two of his goals in 2024 came against nationally ranked opponents with the other being a game winner.
Rabush has established himself as a playmaking defender during his first two seasons with W&M, culminating in preseason honorable mention status in 2025. The Leonardtown, Md. native led the team with five assists a year ago and has nine points in the 31 matches during his first two seasons in Williamsburg.
Same Conference, New Divisions
The CAA announced this summer a new divisional model in soccer, breaking the league into the CAA North and CAA South. The Tribe will be joined in the South by Campbell, UNCW, Elon and Charleston, playing each of them twice. The top three teams from each division will make the postseason.
Tribe Ties on Staff
Chris Norris heads into his 22
nd year as the head coach of the Tribe in 2025 and 35
th season involved with the William & Mary men's soccer as either a player or a coach. Norris made 81 starts in 84 games with W&M before graduating in 1995, and was a two-time All-CAA First Team Selection before immediately joining the staff as an assistant coach. He took the reins of the program in 2004 and has led the Tribe to four NCAA Tournaments and a 164-159-56 record.
Jeff Dominguez is back on staff as an assistant for the second time beginning this season. Dominguez, a 1999 grad, made the NCAA Tournament all four years during his playing career and won two CAA titles before going on to play professional soccer. He was an assistant under Norris in 2004-05.
History with Campbell
The Tribe and Camels will do battle for the eighth time ever with W&M holding a 5-2-0 advantage all-time in the series. Campbell has won both meetings since joining the CAA however, picking up a 3-2 win in Williamsburg last year and earning another one-goal win the year prior. The Tribe will be looking for its first result in Buies Creek since 2016. Four of the previous seven meetings have ended with a 3-2 scoreline.
History with Rutgers
For the first time in 21 years the Tribe and Scarlet Knights will meet on the pitch. Rutgers holds a narrow 2-1-1 lead in the all-time series with the last meeting being a 1-1 draw in Norfolk for a neutral site contest in 2004. Rutgers was picked ninth in the Big Ten preseason poll.
