WILLIAMSBURG – The William & Mary women’s soccer team scored three times in the first half and never looked back as they blanked East Carolina 3-0 on Friday at Martin Family Stadium.
Sophomore Elysse Branton, seniors Katie Johnston, and Barbara Platenberg found the back of the net for the Tribe. With the victory, the Tribe improves to 3-0-0 on the season, while the Pirates fall to 1-1-1.
After controlling the pace of play for the majority part of the first half, the Tribe got in the score column in the 27th minute. On a great individual play by Branton, she dribbled through the Pirate defense from about midfield and buried a shot into the mid-left corner of the goal. Her first career tally gave W&M a 1-0 lead.
Just under two minutes later, W&M doubled its lead. After a foul around midfield, senior Meghan Musgrove lined up a free kick and placed it dangerously in front of the goalkeeper. Waiting there was Johnston, who got a piece of it and deflected the ball into the goal.
The final goal of the match came right before the intermission. In the 43rd minute, junior Haley Kavanaugh placed a ball in front of the mouth of the goal that Platenberg was able to finish. Platenberg’s first goal of the season, gave W&M a 3-0.
East Carolina tried to muster a comeback in the second half, but never found a goal. They outshot the Tribe 6-2, including a 3-0 advantage in shots on goal. They also had a 5-1 advantage on corner kicks.
However, the Tribe defense and senior goalkeeper Caroline Casey, who turned away three shots in the period, held strong. The first shot on goal came in the 50th minute when Lana Spitler put one on target that was stopped by Casey. Again in the 53rd minute, Jenna Giest pushed a shot on frame, which was stopped. The final chance was in 76th minute when Autumn Berry had a shot from distance that was turned away by Casey.
For the match, the Tribe outshot the Pirates 11-9, however shots on-goal were even at 6-6. Johnston led the squad with three shots, while senior Nicole Baxter, sophomore Clara Logsdon and Platenberg each finished with a pair of shots.
Casey was again outstanding in goal for the Green and Gold. She recorded her second straight shutout, while recording a season-high six saves. The Chesapeake native ran her scoreless streak to 215 minutes. She also now sits three shutouts, and 13 saves away from moving into the top five all-time in school history.
The Tribe concludes its weekend schedule as it travels to No. 21 Duke for a matchup on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
