Thursday, Sept. 21, William and Mary women’s soccer (6-0-5, 3-0-2 CAA) tied Campbell (2-5-4, 0-3-3 CAA) 2-2 at Martin Family Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.
Over 1000 spectators turned up for a wild match in which the two teams exchanged the lead all night.
The visiting Camels started the game on the offensive, maintaining possession for the first few minutes before opening the scoring in the fourth minute via a corner kick. Redshirt senior forward Amber Liston delivered a cross to the head of redshirt senior defender Laney Peabody, who redirected the ball onto the far post and into the net for her second goal of the season.
William and Mary responded quickly, dominating the rest of the half and squeezing off four shots over the next 30 minutes. Campbell redshirt sophomore goalkeeper JLo Varada completed two saves during this period, but fell short on the Tribe’s equalizing goal in the 35th minute.
After several minutes of offensive attack, the Tribe started pressuring the Campbell defense. Camels senior midfielder Cazzi Norgren attempted to stop a Tribe cross, but in the process, she caught a William and Mary attacker’s legs, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the penalty spot. Senior midfielder Kenna Zier buried the penalty kick into the right side of the net despite Varada diving the correct direction. Two off-target Tribe shots in the remaining 10 minutes brought the half to a close, and after 45 minutes of play, the two teams remained locked at 1-1.
The Green and Gold resumed its offensive push following the break, with a 52nd minute lob by junior forward Leah Iglesias onto the top right corner that forced Varada into a full-stretch dive to tip the shot over the bar. Later that same minute, junior forward Mia Suchora launched a strike off her right-foot from outside the box, but Varada palmed away the ball yet again. The shots marked two of six unanswered shots in the opening 15 minutes of the second half for the Tribe, as the home side continued to push for its second goal.
William and Mary was rewarded for its persistent pressure in the 69th minute, when fifth-year goalkeeper Zoe Doughty started an attack with a cleared back-pass that found its way to Suchora. She executed a flawless Cruyff turn that sent her defender to the ground before passing the ball to sophomore forward Madison Moon on the near sideline. Moon floated a first time cross into the box, where senior forward Elaina Longjohn volleyed in from close range for a 2-1 Tribe lead.
Up until this point, Campbell had only attempted three shots with two on frame. However, the visitors struck gold with its next shot. Against the run of play, Camel senior defender Olivia Neal received the ball on the near side and dribbled past sophomore Tribe defender Nora Green-Orset. Neal delivered an aerial cross to Norgren, who met the ball with a volley from close range. Having given away the first-half penalty, her finish to the right side of the net completed her redemption as the Camels equalized the score in the 80th minute.
Both sides attempted to find a winner, but the score remained locked at 2-2 when the referee blew the whistle for full time. Campbell was most likely the happier team at the conclusion of the game, scoring twice off of six total shots and earning an away draw against undefeated opponents.
Goalkeeper Varada earned a shout-out with her six saves, which undoubtedly kept her side in the contest. The Tribe bombarded the Camels’ net with 17 shots on the night, with eight finding the target.
On Sunday, Sept. 24, William and Mary faced Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) inter-conference opponent Elon (1-5-3, 0-3-1 CAA) in its next matchup on Sept. 24 in Williamsburg, Va. The Tribe emerged as 2-0 victors, maintaining a third place spot in the CAA standings.
Through 11 games, the Tribe remains undefeated, marking the best start in program history.
William and Mary will now look to challenge Hofstra (7-2-1, 4-0-1 CAA) in a crucial clash on Thursday, Sept. 28 at Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead, NY. A win could potentially push the Tribe up to first place in the CAA.