William and Mary hosted North Carolina – Wilmington at Martin Family Stadium Sept. 14. Ultimately, the Tribe (0-2-2, 0-0-1 CAA) and the Seahawks (2-2-1, 0-0-1 CAA) tied in the evenly matched Colonial Athletic Association opener.
Just 35 seconds into the game, the College broke the ice against the Seahawks when freshman forward Alexander Levengood scored his second marker of the season, bringing the score up to 1-0. Senior midfielder Reeves Trott settled a long ball in the attacking third to find freshman forward Diba Nwegbo at the top of the 18-yard line where the striker was able to give the ball to Levengood, who sent the ball into the post from eight yards out.
The Tribe narrowly missed the opportunity to double its lead in the 59th minute when Nwegbo’s attempt hit off the post and cleared off the goal line. Sophomore back James Bradley played the ball to Nwegbo from the left side of the box, after which Nwegbo cut back to the centre and shot to the far post. The ball made its way back to the center, as it bounded towards the goal, but Levengood’s rebound shot was deflected out for a corner.
In the 89th minute, the Seahawks built up pressure to compete against the Tribe when midfielder Gabe Mercer made a run into the box, gathering the ball deflected into his path and sending a cross to the penalty area. Preseason CAA Player of the Year forward Phillip Goodrum sent the ball into the left side of the frame from eight yards out.
The Tribe’s freshman goalkeeper Kieran Baskett played a large role in the game for the Tribe, having registered a career-high 11 saves, including three stops in the second overtime period. The 11 blocks were the most in the CAA since 2016, and the seventh most in the country for this season.
The College will head to Philadelphia for two games Tues. Sept. 17 against St. Joseph’s and Sat. Sept. 21 against Drexel.
