William and Mary traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, to take on Old Dominion Sunday, Sept. 16. The Tribe (2-5-1) was outmatched by the Monarchs (6-0-1), eventually losing 5-0.
The game got off to a promising start for the Tribe, as junior Courtney Miles notched the first shot on goal of the game in the third minute. After a relatively slow first 10 minutes, the Monarchs started ramping up their offense.
The Tribe defense held strong, fending off multiple corner kicks and shots on goal, until the 29th minute when Monarchs scored off an assist by Emily Roberts. The next 15 minutes leading up to halftime were dominated by the Monarchs’ offense, as it tallied another goal in the 36th minute. This time Kyra Ricks scored, assisted by Ece Turkoglu, who had subbed in only minutes earlier.
The end of the first half gave the Tribe a much-needed respite, as it was outshot 7-3 and gave up four corner kicks to the Monarchs.
Similar to the beginning of the game, the start of the second half saw the Tribe playing impressive defense, not allowing the Monarchs to find the back of the net.
As the game progressed though, the Tribe once again started to get worn down by the Monarchs’ powerful offense. The Monarchs scored their third goal in the 77th minute, and scored again only seven minutes later, capitalizing on one of its seven corner kicks.
As the game came to an end, the Monarchs notched their fifth and final goal in the 89th minute, a demoralizing final blow in the Tribe’s defeat.
The Tribe was outshot 17-10, with only three shots on goal compared to the Monarchs’ eight. The only category the Tribe lead in was fouls, committing nine to the Monarchs’ five. The Tribe did show improvement in the second half, increasing its shot total from three in the first half to seven in the second half.
The Tribe will end its non-conference schedule with a game against Ivy-League opponent Princeton Sunday, Sept. 22, at 1 p.m.
