Sunday, Oct. 6, William and Mary women’s soccer (7-6, 2-3 CAA) fell to conference foe Charleston (8-3-3, 1-2-2 CAA) 3-2 at Martin Family Stadium in Williamsburg, Va. The defeat extended the Tribe’s losing streak to a season-high three games.
The afternoon began with a Senior Day celebration honoring the Tribe’s nine upcoming graduates, a class that powered William and Mary to its first winning season in seven years in 2023. Those recognized at the ceremony were defender Nicole Sellers, forward Elaina Longjohn, midfielder Mia Suchora, defender Marisa McClure, defender Emma D’Alesandro, midfielder Gabriella Kurtas, forward Leah Iglesias, midfielder Abby Mills and goalkeeper Morgan Wood.
“It’s always great to be able to celebrate the seniors in a way that honors all of the work they’ve put in the past four or five years,” Tribe head coach Julie Shackford said. “Really strong class, and I’m really looking forward to today.”
The Tribe was given a week to prepare for Charleston, marking its longest break since conference play began Sept. 19. William and Mary struggled to capitalize on offensive opportunities in late-September losses to Monmouth and Delaware, taking 20 combined shots but failing to score a goal in either game; according to Shackford, the team spent its downtime resting, recovering and working on finishing and focusing in the attacking third.
At the time of kickoff, William and Mary held a 5-1-5 all-time record against Charleston, had never lost to the Cougars in Williamsburg and had not dropped a game in the series since 2018. However, this Charleston team posed considerable threats on both offense and defense; entering Sunday afternoon, the Cougars boasted one of the highest goals-per-game averages in the Coastal Athletic Association and recorded eight shutouts on the season.
“I think [Charleston is] super athletic,” Shackford said. “Their front four is as good as any in the league, and as always, I think the first goal is key, but it should be another great conference battle as they all are.”
The Cougars demonstrated their attacking prowess from the opening whistle, generating multiple opportunities in the game’s opening minutes and quickly manufacturing a breakthrough. With 34 minutes remaining in the first half, Charleston junior forward Emma Wennar received a pass deep in Tribe territory, dribbled through the defense and deposited a sliding shot just past the outstretched arms of Wood. For the third consecutive game, William and Mary lost the battle of the first goal, one of Shackford’s main points of emphasis.
But unlike its performances against Monmouth and Delaware, the Green and Gold responded to Charleston almost instantly. Less than two minutes after Wennar scored, the Tribe pushed the ball down the field and generated a corner kick, which was taken by Kurtas. The senior midfielder’s cross bounced off Cougars senior goalkeeper Savannah Barron and into the goal, tying the game and giving Kurtas the rare distinction of scoring directly from a corner.
Unfortunately, the Tribe failed to generate any more offensive production; Charleston controlled the ball for the rest of the first half and held William and Mary to just one more shot attempt before the break. Charleston junior defender Lilli Ray put her team up 2-1 at the 33-minute mark, and the visiting team took the lead into the locker room, having outshot the Tribe by a dominant 13-2 margin.
William and Mary looked reinvigorated in the second half, taking five shots and scoring another goal courtesy of junior forward Ivey Crain, but Wennar’s second goal of the afternoon staked Charleston to yet another lead and put the game out of reach. The Tribe’s best opportunities to equalize came in the 56th minute, when shots from freshman defender Peyton Costello and senior defender Marisa McClure went just wide, but a Cougar defensive stand denied the home team from equalizing.
The victory moves the Cougars out of the bottom of the conference leaderboard and marks Charleston’s first Coastal Athletic Association win of the season, first overall win since Sept. 15 and first-ever win in Williamsburg. William and Mary falls to 2-3 in conference play and drops into a tie for eighth place in the CAA standings. After winning seven out of eight games from Aug. 25 to Sept. 22, the Tribe are now suffering through its first three-game losing streak since Sept. 3, 2021.
William and Mary will look to rebound when it takes on CAA elite Elon (9-1-1, 4-1 CAA) Thursday, Oct. 10 at Rudd Field in Elon, N.C.
