WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary athletics ended strong last week as many teams took home wins. Below are highlights from some of the teams:
Men’s Soccer:
William & Mary men’s soccer team began their 2021 season with a 3-0 win over Saint Francis Friday, Sept. 10.
During the 19th minute of the first half, Alfredo Bozalongo, Junior, assisted his fellow classmate Nathan Messer as Messer scored the first goal of the game with a chip over the opposing side’s goalkeeper.
Saint Francis could not find the equalizer by the end of the first half.
In the 61st minute, graduate student Matt Thorsheim was able to make a run down the middle of the field after a through ball from junior teammate Diba Nwegbo. The score became 2-0.
Only five and a half minutes later, junior Alexander Levendoo was able to send a header near Nwegbo who was then able to take a strike that reached the back of the net.
This strike by Newgbo extended the Tribe’s lead to 3-0 and it eventually became the final goal of the night.
The William and Mary men’s soccer team’s next game is slated for Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. and it will be at home vs. George Washington.
Women’s Soccer:
Kayleigh Shackford’s goal was the only successful strike of the night in William & Mary women’s soccer 1-0 victory over East Carolina this past Sunday.
Freshman goalkeeper Morgan Wood showed what she’s capable of when she made five second-half saves to keep Shackford’s goal the deciding factor of the night.
In the 17th minute, sophomore Ginny Delacruz won the ball in midfield and sent Shackford a through ball. Shackford capitalized on Delacruz’s first career assist with a shot from 25 yards out to give the Tribe a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore keeper Grace Lemley started in goal for the Tribe. Lemley kept the opening 45 minutes scoreless for their opponents. The tribe’s defense assisted both keepers in their efforts to maintain a scoreless game for East Carolina. The backline included senior Addie Puskar, sophomore Ginny Delacruz, and freshmen Riley Friesen and Emma D’Alesandro.
The women’s soccer team will return to Martin Family Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept.18 to play Georgetown.
Football:
William & Mary Tribe football’s defense dominated over the weekend in their Sept. 11 matchup against Lafayette. The Tribe prevented the Leopard’s offense from scoring a single touchdown in what became a decisive 24-3 victory at home in Zable Stadium.
A key defensive effort was provided by linebacker John Pius who tallied up two sacks and a grand total of seven tackles by the end of the game.
Gage Herdman contributed one of the biggest plays of the night when he picked a deflection off of wide receiver Julius Young. Herdman was able to then run all the way down the field for a 78-yard yard touchdown return.
The Tribe’s defense ended the game with six sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
The football team’s next game will take place on Saturday, Sept. 18, at 1 p.m. It will be an away game vs Colgate University.
Women’s Tennis:
William & Mary’s women’s tennis team won 15 out of its 22 single matches at the Liberty Invitational. Individually, six tennis players posted at least two singles wins at the invite.
Senior Mila Saric, who is ranked No. 97 nationally, posted a 6-1, 6-4 win over Tiffany Nguyen of Liberty. Saric ended the invitation with a perfect 2-0.
Junior Alisa Manolescu was the only Tribe play to go 3-0 over the day event. She claimed a 6-3, 7-5, win over Liberty’s Bruna Sampaio on Sunday.
The William & Mary women’s tennis team’s next competition is slated for Sept. 24-26 at the UNC Ranked +1 event. Mila Sarc and Raffaela Alhach will both compete in this event.
Men’s Golf:
William & Mary men’s golf team finished third place after two rounds at the VCU Shootout, played at the Country Club of Virginia’s Tuckahoe creek course.
The Tribe shot for 10-under 566 through two rounds for the second-best 36-hole score in the program’s history.
Graduate transfer Ethan Magnum shot for 5-under 67, tied for the ninth-best round in school history and the best since 2018.
Freshman Logan Hunter shot a 4-under par 68 in round two. Hunter ended the day with the best round for a William & Mary freshman since Will Stewart shot a 4-under 67 at the Fighting Irish Gridiron Classic in 2015.
The final day of the VCU Shootout is today Sept. 14 and opens with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m.
