Senior forward Ivey Crain scored her first goal in nearly a month, freshman goalkeeper Gwen Doughty turned in a clean sheet and William and Mary women’s soccer (4-5-4, 2-1-2 CAA) defeated conference foe Charleston (7-5-1, 3-2-0 CAA) 1-0 Sunday, Oct. 5, at Martin Family Stadium in Williamsburg, Va. The Tribe’s victory marked its first over the Cougars since 2021.
Entering the afternoon, Charleston sported a 3-1-0 conference record and sat second in the Coastal Athletic Association’s South Division, two spots ahead of William and Mary. Although the Cougars — which dealt the Tribe a home loss in 2024 — presented the Green and Gold with a formidable challenge, William and Mary head coach Julie Shackford ’88 said her squad was primarily motivated by its 1-0 defeat at Campbell (4-5-3, 2-2-1 CAA). Despite outshooting the Camels 13-7, the Tribe lost that game Oct. 2, thanks to an 88th-minute own goal.
“Well, I think we had a really disappointing game against Campbell,” Shackford said. “We outshot them, we outplayed them, we scored an own goal, so I think the kids were pretty motivated today. I think it’s a group that’s super resilient, and they don’t mind doing the hard stuff.”
William and Mary’s resilience was immediately tested as Charleston found the Tribe’s crossbar in the game’s eighth, 21st and 31st minutes. Shackford’s bunch cleared the ball on all three occasions, benefitting from an offside call against the Cougars on the third, and the teams ultimately entered the break tied at zero. However, Charleston attempted 12 shots in the opening period and came close to breaking the deadlock several times.
Tensions escalated in the 33rd minute, when a streaking Crain was denied a free kick after colliding with a Charleston defender at the penalty spot. Frustrated, Crain threw her hands up in protest, and the William and Mary sideline echoed its striker’s sentiments. A red card was soon issued against a member of the Tribe’s coaching staff.
Nevertheless, the Green and Gold managed to escape a half Shackford described as “very emotional” without conceding a goal, an accomplishment the Tribe coach credited to the steadiness of Doughty and the team’s seniors.
“I think our senior leadership, really, all of them,” Shackford said. “Ivey, [senior forward] Sheridan [Brummett], [senior midfielder] Madison Moon. I thought Gwen, our keeper, was super composed, and that helps a lot when your keeper is just really calm, and it was just a great overall team effort. That sounds so cliché, but it was.”
After another extended stretch of back-and-forth action, William and Mary finally broke through in the 73rd minute. Crain — the all-conference forward who hadn’t found the back of the net since Sept. 7 — positioned herself deep in Charleston territory, controlled a deflection and fired the ball past Charleston sophomore goalkeeper Ainsley Chunn, giving the Tribe a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
“[We] knew it was probably going to come down to one quality chance,” Shackford said. “You know, Ivey hasn’t scored in a while, and I could just see how much she wanted it today, right? And she loves to put the team on her back, and she did.”
Crain’s goal induced catharsis on the excited Tribe sideline, but the battle wasn’t over yet. Charleston responded with a barrage of shots, launching five in the game’s final 12 minutes; at one point, the Cougars forced the Tribe to repel four charges in quick succession, and it seemed certain they would score.
However, William and Mary’s defense held strong. As the Tribe bled out the clock in Charleston’s corner, the Green and Gold began celebrating perhaps its hardest-fought victory of the campaign. Shackford lauded her team’s back line, which bent but never broke.
“[We] still knew they were going to be dangerous because they’ve got a couple Power Four transfers who can just move, you know?” Shackford said. “So they’re always still going to have another chance, you know? That’s the law of soccer, but we held them off, and I thought our backs did an outstanding job kind of keeping them in check, and a lot of game management in the corner, and we were able to pull it off.”
The Tribe coach also praised Doughty, whose composure she described as “crazy.” In her debut season, the keeper has started 12 games in goal, posting three shutouts on the year. Doughty’s mother and sister both played for the Tribe. According to Shackford, the freshman is poised to be next in a line of decorated William and Mary soccer alumnae.
“I think [Doughty] managed the game well,” Shackford said. “She kept it away from their dangerous players. She kicked it when she thought [she should], she held onto it at times, which was great. She played out of the back when it was appropriate. So she just read it really well.”
William and Mary will enjoy a five-day break before it returns to the field Saturday, Oct. 11, to take on North Carolina Wilmington (8-3-2, 4-0-1 CAA) at UNCW Soccer Stadium in Wilmington, N.C. Although the Seahawks are division leaders, Shackford believes the Tribe, emboldened by its win over Charleston, will not be cowed.
“I think we know we can play with anybody,” Shackford said.
