Saturday, Oct. 19, William and Mary men’s soccer (4-8-1, 2-3-1 CAA) tied conference rival Drexel (7-4-1, 3-2-1 CAA) at Vidas Field in Philadelphia. The draw snapped a three-game losing streak that saw the Tribe drop consecutive matches to Elon, Monmouth and North Carolina earlier this month.
The Green and Gold headed into this matchup boasting a 16-6-2 all-time record against the Dragons. The two teams’ most recent meeting took place Sept. 30 of last year, when they tied 2-2 at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, Va. Along with defeating Drexel 10 times at home, the Tribe previously logged five wins and five losses at Vidas Field.
Going into Saturday’s match, the Tribe looked to pick up some momentum and notch three conference points on the road after a tough 5-2 home loss to North Carolina on Tuesday. In the first half of October, the Tribe struggled to create opportunities, taking nine fewer shots on goal than its three opponents. Creating these opportunities would be key in the trip to Philadelphia, along with putting the brakes on a persistent Drexel offense that has averaged an impressive 13 shots per game thus far.
This offense was no different on Saturday, as Drexel’s attack came blazing out of the gates. The first test for sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Eapen came in the sixth minute, and while he made the save, Drexel’s relentless forward line would unleash seven more shots before the halftime whistle. Meanwhile, the Tribe failed to produce any offense of its own, unable to get a single shot off in the first 45 minutes.
However, the first half was also a testament to the strength of the Tribe defense and Eapen’s resilient performance in goal, as William and Mary held Drexel scoreless. While the Dragons created a dangerous chance in the eighth minute, William and Mary defenders were there just in time, clearing the ball. In addition, Eapen tacked on two more saves in the 35th and 42nd minutes, staying strong while Drexel made a final push for a first goal before halftime.
“I think our effort on the defensive end in order to prevent opportunities for their offense was key, including blocked shots, tracking back at pace and big tackles,” Eapen wrote to the Flat Hat. “Although we had a lot of key injuries for that game everyone played their role that they were assigned in order to keep us in the game.”
The Tribe finally got its offense going in the second half.
In the 57th minute, junior midfielder Diogo Branco took William and Mary’s first shot of the game. Sophomore midfielder Aidan Morrison kept the attack going with a shot on goal, but Drexel graduate student goalkeeper Alessandro Capogna made the save and kept the game scoreless. Then, junior forward Sam Delgado turned on the afterburners on attack. Shortly after his first shot of the game was blocked in the 67th minute, Delgado ran down a deflected Drexel pass in the left side of the box and rifled it home to give the Tribe a 1-0 lead. This brought Delgado to four goals on the season, leading the team in scoring this fall.
The Dragons responded by quickly taking back the attacking momentum, resuming its aggressive offensive play that pressured the William and Mary defense throughout the first half. However, the Tribe continued to give Drexel nothing on its side of the field, as the defense made two important blocks to support Eapen’s two major saves in the 69th and 84th minutes.
In the 90th minute, the Dragons won a free kick just 15 yards out from the top of the William and Mary penalty box. This 33-yard set piece, coming with only 40 seconds left on the clock, appeared to be Drexel’s last chance to even the score. Drexel graduate student midfielder Patrick Short took the free kick, sending the ball into a tightly defended box for freshman forward Omar Jallow. The free kick was perfectly placed for Jallow, who leaped and headed the ball into the top right corner, tying the game as the time ran out.
While walking away with a draw was disappointing after such a hard-fought defensive battle for Eapen, the team’s all-around performance proved that the Tribe could compete and win at a high level.
“If we were to take anything from yesterday’s game it would be that if we remain aggressive offensively and defensively effort wise we can compete with great teams and we can get results,” Eapen wrote. “We just have to continue to learn how to close out close games and make winning plays when it matters most. We’ll take that lesson into our remaining conference games in [an] effort to make the tournament and hopefully compete for a championship.”
Eapen has made waves in his first season seeing action. He logged five saves in Saturday’s match, bringing his season-long total to 48, good for fifth in the Coastal Athletic Association this year. He also boasts a .762 save percentage this fall, ranking third in the CAA.
“I’ve just focused on playing my game and communicating well with my teammates. I’m confident enough in my play to know I deserve to be playing at this level and that I can succeed,” Eapen wrote. “I just want to continue working and improving my game to ensure confidence in my play. My goalkeeper coach Tyler helps a lot with the mental and physical game by going over film with me and instills confidence in me throughout my play.”
Saturday’s draw moves Drexel to 10 conference points on the season and fifth in CAA standings, as the Dragons remain loss-free since September. Meanwhile, the result leaves William and Mary in eighth place in the standings with a 2-3-1 conference record. While the draw snaps the Tribe’s three-game skid, the team’s winless drought will extend to four games since the end of September.
William and Mary looks to break this drought and build some momentum when it hosts North Carolina State (6-2-5, 2-2-2 ACC) Wednesday, Oct. 23 at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, Va.