It’s called a trap game. One of those games sandwiched in the middle of two superior opponents, the type of game you can easily look past.
After winning 1-0 on senior night last Wednesday versus UNC-Wilmington, and with a match against No. 2 Maryland looming on the horizon Tuesday, No. 12 William and Mary (12-2-2, 7-1-2 CAA) could have easily looked past Saturday’s match at Hofstra.
But it didn’t.
The College earned a 0-0 draw versus the Pride, moving its unbeaten streak to 10 straight matches. Senior goalkeeper Andrew McAdams recorded his sixth shutout of the season versus Hofstra, making two saves in the process, while the Tribe outshot the Pride 11-8 in regulation.
“I thought we played fine,” senior midfielder Nat Baako said. “We didn’t play as well as we are capable of, but, considering the circumstances, we played fine to get out of there with a tie.”
Senior midfielder Jimmy Carroll provided the Tribe its best chance to score in the game’s 29th minute, when he collected the rebound on a ball punched out of the box by the Hofstra keeper. The senior ripped a shot on frame past the keeper; the attempt would be knocked away by a Pride defender to keep the score 0-0.
“It came off a cross from the right side, a very good cross actually,” Baako said. “The goalkeeper came out to punch the ball, taking him physically out of the goal. All Jimmy had to do was loft the ball in, which he did, but a defender was there to block it.”
While each squad took three shots in the first half, the College was far more dangerous later in the half.
The Tribe remained aggressive in the second half, taking eight shots to Hofstra’s five in the period. Sophomore Ben Anderson and junior Nicolas Abrigo were each able to put a shot on frame for the College, but both ended up in the waiting arms of the Hofsra goalkeeper.
Senior forward Alan Koger, who led the College with six shots on the match, led a productive span in which the Tribe took six shots between the 67th and 76th minutes. But neither Koger nor his teammates were able to find the back of the net.
The overtime periods unfolded unremarkably, with Hofstra taking five shots between the two periods combined. Only one shot drew in a save by McAdams.
After emerging from the weekend with a tie, the College will face No. 2 Maryland Tuesday in College Park, Md. in a matchup between two of the top-15 teams in the country.
“We expect to go in and get a very good showing for our season,” Baako said. “We are looking to have a good performance. To be honest, we haven’t had the game we are capable of for a couple of weeks now, so that is what we hope for. We hope to come out with a win, which would put us in position for an at-large berth.”
