Wednesday, Sept. 4, William and Mary men’s soccer (2-0-2, 0-1 CAA) defeated Longwood (1-2-1, 0-0 Big South) 2-0 in its home opener at Martin Family Stadium in Williamsburg, Va.
Just 13 minutes into the midweek match, sophomore midfielder Aidan Morrison shot from the top of the box, finding the back of the net and giving the Tribe an early lead. Junior forward Lucas Caldas was credited with the assist, with a give-and-go cut finding its way back to Morrison for his first goal of the season.
Longwood failed to get any shots on goal until the 27th minute, when sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Eapen swiftly saved the attempt.
William and Mary freshman forward Tre Barrett made his impact in the 34th minute, taking a free kick after a Longwood yellow card. Sophomore midfielder Hamilton Howes headed the ball cleanly into the right side of the net, emphatically raising the Tribe’s lead to two. This goal was Howes’s first of his career with William and Mary, and the assist was Barrett’s second of his short — but already impactful — time with the Tribe.
Graduate student goalkeeper Cole McNally came in for the Tribe early into the second half, replacing Eapen, and made one save during the period to keep the visiting Lancers at bay.
The match was relatively uneventful throughout the second half, and the score remained at 2-0 until the end. On the day, William and Mary took 15 shots compared to Longwood’s seven. This marked the Tribe’s second win of the season. Longwood has never defeated the Tribe, with a historical record of 9-0-2 between the teams.
Saturday, Sept. 7, the Green and Gold lost to No. 24 Hofstra (4-0-1, 1-0 CAA) 1-0 in its first league game at home.
William and Mary looks to bounce back against Old Dominion (2-2-1, 0-0 SBC) Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the Old Dominion Soccer Complex in Norfolk, Va.