WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — William & Mary men's soccer scored twice in the second half and turned in its first shutout of the season to defeat College of Charleston, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.
The victory improved the Tribe to 2-2-1 overall and 1-0-1 in CAA play while moving W&M to 2-1 at home this season. It also marked William & Mary's first victory over Charleston since 2021.
Two-time reigning CAA Rookie of the Week Brown Huffard broke the scoreless tie with his team-leading third goal of the season in the 49th minute before sophomore Beckham Harris converted a penalty kick in the 63rd minute for his first goal of the year.
Diego Garciarena turned in his best performance of the season in goal, making a season-high five saves to record his first shutout of the year. The clean sheet was the sixth of the transfer's collegiate career and his first in a Tribe uniform.
Freshman Sullivan Carter picked up his first collegiate point with an assist on Huffard's goal.
W&M and Charleston finished even with 14 shots apiece, while the Cougars held a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. The Tribe generated eight corner kicks compared to four for Charleston.
First Half
Charleston generated the first two opportunities of the afternoon before Huffard recorded the Tribe's first attempt in the fifth minute.
Garciarena was called into action in the 15th minute, stopping Matt Lenert's attempt to keep the match scoreless. Gabe Ruitenberg answered with W&M's first shot on goal just over a minute later, but Charleston goalkeeper Marten Brink made the save.
Garciarena added another stop in the 26th minute on an attempt from Michiharu Takanashi. The Tribe created several chances over the remainder of the half, including attempts from Evan Rabush, Clem Cartwright, Harris and Ruitenberg.
The teams entered halftime scoreless with each side recording seven shots. W&M held a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks during the opening 45 minutes.
Second Half
The Tribe wasted little time taking control after the break.
Carter connected with Huffard at the 48:07 mark, and the two-time reigning CAA Rookie of the Week found the back of the net to put W&M in front, 1-0. The goal was Huffard's third of the season and his team-leading third tally, while Carter collected the first assist and point of his collegiate career.
W&M doubled its advantage in the 63rd minute. Harris converted a penalty kick at the 62:17 mark for his first goal of the season, pushing the Tribe lead to 2-0.
Charleston increased the pressure over the final 20 minutes, but Garciarena and the Tribe defense kept the Cougars off the board. The W&M goalkeeper made three saves between the 73rd and 81st minutes, turning away attempts from Arnau Olle, Lenert and Stian Bendvold.
Thor Sigurjonsson nearly added a third goal in the 89th minute, putting an attempt on frame that was stopped by Brink.
Garciarena and the Tribe defense saw out the final minutes to secure W&M's first shutout of the season. The clean sheet was the sixth of Garciarena's collegiate career and his first with the Tribe, while his five saves marked a season high.
Up Next
William & Mary returns to the road Saturday, Sept. 12, traveling to Wilmington, N.C., for a CAA matchup against UNCW. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the match will be streamed live on FloCollege.
