Held out of the starting lineup for only the second match of his career, junior Nick Orozco was an improbable hero Wednesday night. However, after a late substitution into the midfield against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington (8-2-3, 4-0-2 CAA), Orozco registered a dramatic 83rd-minute equalizer. Following a scoreless overtime, William and Mary (9-4-1, 4-2-1 CAA) finished the game knotted at 1-1 with the top defensive team in the CAA.

“To go into Wilmington and get a draw against them late, normally we would be pretty happy with that as a result,” Head Coach Chris Norris said. “However, I felt like we played very well at times on the night and showed that … we were the better team. And so to not get a win having had a lot of advantage in terms of possession and chances, particularly in the second half, was a little disappointing.”

Orozco’s strike materialized off a cross from junior forward Ryan Snyder to the foot of redshirt freshman midfielder Caleb Thomas. As Thomas faced away from the Seahawk net, he played a quick pass to Orozco on the right side who wrapped the ball around two defenders and skimmed a 20-yard goal off the far post.

Orozco had been removed from the starting lineup Oct. 17 against Delaware and was replaced by junior defender Derek Buckley in an attempt to reorganize an inconsistent backline.

“It felt good to get a goal,” Orozco said. “It’s been frustrating. We’ve had a few blunders defensively this year, which have been a result of us not coming out and going after the team. Derek Buckley is very athletic, and with him in the lineup we hope to overcome that.”

Indy Smith scored on UNCW’s first shot of the night in the 19th minute. Off a throw-in, the ball eluded three Tribe defenders before Smith converted on a quick strike to the near post — an attempt Norris termed a “hopeful stab.”

“We have given up some soft goals recently,” Norris said. “For us to be where we want to be at the end of the year, it is something we will have to turn around.”

With the Seahawks utilizing only one forward and dropping everyone else back, it was difficult for the College to sustain deep pressure for much of the game. A halftime adjustment by Norris that split the central midfielders allowed greater fluidity between the backline and the forwards and facilitated 13 second half shots.

“[UNCW] defended deep and made it difficult for us,” Norris said. “For a while it looked like it would be one of those nights where we did a lot of good things, and were just not able to overcome the soft goal we conceded.”

The Tribe returns to the pitch Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Albert-Daly Field when they host Hofstra during Homecoming weekend.

GAME NOTES: The Tribe outshot the Seahawks 22-12 and held a 13-6 advantage in corner kicks … Junior goal keeper Andrew McAdams recorded four saves … Senior forward Andrew Hoxie played 90 minutes for the first time since injuring his groin against George Mason earlier in the year. He knotched five shots … The tie moves the College into sole possession of fourth place in the CAA.

William and Mary’s decorated senior class has accrued 20 wins, three All-Conference honorees and one major upset over a BCS team. But its football resume suffers from one glaring omission. Over the past five years, the College has yet to defeat its biggest rival, James Madison.

Since a 27-24 upset win in 2004, the Tribe is 0-5 against the Dukes, losing each game by an average of 14.8 points.

Saturday, on Homecoming, will likely mark the final opportunity for the football class of 2010 to end that losing streak.

“We know it’s a big game,” senior safety David Caldwell said. “Just knowing that we’re not going to play this team again, you want to leave your mark and play the best you can.”

The noon kickoff will find the two squads in a reversal of their usual positions. The College has not faced the Dukes as the favored team since its final contest of the 2004 season, a national semifinal which saw the no. 6 Tribe fall to no. 8 James Madison 48-34.

Now, the College is ranked fifth in the country, entering with a 5-1 record. James Madison is 2-4, losers of three straight and unranked for the first time in four years.

The Dukes lost starting quarterback Drew Dudzik to injury for the season during a loss to no. 1 Richmond Oct. 10, and have suffered several key injuries on the defensive side of the ball.

But, while James Madison is down, the College is not taking the Dukes lightly.

“They’re a very good team that’s played very well against us,” Head Coach Jimmye Laycock said. “You look at them on tape and you understand that they’re good players. They were within a couple yards of beating Richmond a couple weeks ago.”

After entering the season ranked eighth in the nation, James Madison has suffered from a run of bad luck and a brutal schedule. The squad took ACC opponent Maryland to overtime in its season opener before losing, and held a fourth quarter lead on Richmond, ultimately falling 21-17.

Additional losses to Hofstra and no. 4 Villanova have all but eliminated the Dukes from the hunt for a postseason bid.

James Madison will also arrive in Williamsburg without the primary weapon in its last several defeats of the Tribe, quarterback Rodney Landers, who graduated last spring.

In the past two seasons, Landers averaged 308.5 total yards against the Tribe, as the Dukes rushed for 672 yards in the two games.

“That’s the big thing, we haven’t been able to slow them down,” Laycock said. “You look at the last few years with Rodney Landers at quarterback, we just weren’t able to stop him. And then they would sometimes overpower us up front and force us into long yardage situations.”

This season, the Tribe leads the conference in rushing defense, ceding only 64.8 yards per game.

The Dukes will also have to deal with a much more balanced Tribe offense. Last year, James Madison took away the run at the game’s outset, forcing the College to throw early and often on the way to a 48-24 defeat.

The Tribe now leads the CAA in passing offense, but also ranks fourth in rushing, preventing opponents from focusing on only one of the units.

“What you want to do is be in a situation where you can dictate the action, and I think that allows us to do that better,” Laycock said. “It’s been big, because that kind of [balance] determines how fast we can go.”
That factor, coupled with the results of past years, has the Tribe motivated to finally put an end to their losing streak.

“Anytime you take a loss like that you put in a little extra preparation, so that way the game will have a different ending this year,” Caldwell said. “It’s a rivalry. I’m pretty sure both teams will come out ready to go.”

Men’s Cross Country: Grey races to second CAA Runner of Week award

Junior Jon Grey was named CAA Runner of the Week Wednesday after placing fifth overall in the NCAA Pre-Nationals last weekend. The Oklahoma transfer paced the ninth-ranked Tribe to a fourth-place finish with a time of 23:54.3. Grey’s run set a record for the highest finish at Pre-Nationals by a member of the Tribe. The junior also had the third-best time for any College runner at that meet to date, despite muddy conditions.

Field Hockey: Drew named to NFHCA Senior All-Star Game

Senior midfielder Wesley Drew was one of 38 seniors nationwide named Wednesday to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s Senior All-Star Game. The Virginia Beach, Va. native has netted three goals and six assists this season. Drew ranks sixth all-time with 17 assists with three regular season games left in her career.

Golf: Men conclude fall slatee, women 9th at Lady Pirate

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams finished intercollegiate tournaments Tuesday. The men were at Georgetown where they compiled a two-day total of 618 (+51) for a tenth-place finish. Highlighting the Tribe’s performance was junior Brandon Parker and sophomore Scott Saal, who each tied for ninth. The women were at East Carolina’s Lady Pirate Intercollegiate and placed ninth with a two-day score of 909 (+57). Senior Morgan Stepanek secured her fourth straight top-20 finish, placing 15th with a 54-hole score of 223 (+10).

After dropping its Sept. 26 CAA home opener to VCU, William and Mary found itself in a four game losing skid, the longest streak for the squad since 2003.

“We’ll be changing how we go about things from here on out,” Head Coach Melissa Shelton said after the loss.

Since then, the Tribe has indeed changed – stringing together six consecutive victories, including a thrilling 3-2 victory over the hosting Rams Friday night.

“Since our first match with VCU we’ve improved our mental focus, blocking and serving,” Shelton said.

Against VCU, the Tribe came out flat in the first set. Despite three service errors, the College was able to claw back to lead 8-7 behind service from senior libero Lindsey Pflugner. But the College was unable to stop the VCU counter, eventually lossing 25-14.

“We weren’t mentally prepared [in the first set],” Kresch said.

The College began the second set on a 5-0 run and went ahead 18-13. The Rams rallied to knot the score at 23-23 before Kresch tallied a strong kill to give the Tribe a one-point lead. Pflugner stepped up to the service line and delivered a clutch ace, taking the set 25-23.

The Tribe was able to calm an early Ram attack in the third set, equalizing and eventually taking an 11-10 lead. The College never looked back, taking the third stanza 25-21 after a kill from junior hitter Erin Skipper capped off a lengthy set-point rally.

The fourth set was back-and-forth throughout. The Rams grabbed a 20-15 lead late, yet the Tribe battled back to tie the score at 25-25 before slipping to 25-26. After a Tribe timeout, senior hitter Lauren Powell tied the score at 26-26 with a kill. But, the College was unable to stop two consecutive VCU kills, handing the set to the Rams 28-26 and tying the match at two sets each.

The Tribe pushed the fifth set score to 14-11, drawing to within one point of winning the match. The College then surrendered two points, allowing the Rams to trail by only one forcing Shelton to call timeout.

“My main goal for the timeout was to get [the team] to relax and refocus on the things they could control,” Shelton said.

After a VCU serve, junior setter Cassie Crumal, who combined with Moloney for 53 assists, set up Skipper for the final point, her fourth kill of the set and fifteenth of the match, taking the set 15-13 and the match 3-2.

The Tribe looks to extend its winning streak against Northeastern on Friday and Hofstra on Saturday at the Kaplan Arena.

Some people just can’t wait until Nov. 15 to kick off another basketball season.

That’s precisely why the student organization Tribal Fever hosted the first-ever “Tribal Tip-Off” in Kaplan Arena Friday night. The event included player introductions, shooting competitions, performances by the
Tribal dancers and cheerleaders and a dunking competition.

“It was meant to get the school hyped up for the season,” Tribal Fever President Chase Hathaway ’10 said.
“We have two great teams, and we want the students to get excited.”

The captain of the men’s team, senior David Schneider, helped plan the event to show students how competitive it can be out on the court.

“[The basketball program] is on the rise,” Schneider said. “We can win the CAA championship.”
His Head Coach, Tony Shaver, agreed.

“I feel really good about the team this year,” he said. “We were a little disappointed last season, but we can come out and have a great year.”

The event officially began with the first women’s and men’s basketball practices of the year, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Students and parents began trickling in around 7:30 p.m. to grab seats for the main event, which began at 8 p.m.

Even College President Taylor Reveley made it out to William and Mary Hall, despite the rainy and cold evening, to support the athletic program.

“We have two really good teams this year,” Reveley said. “I’ll be trying to come to as many of the games as I can.”

Shaver opened the program by thanking students for coming and encouraging them to support the team throughout their CAA and non-confernce seasons.

“It helps to have a rowdy arena,” he said. “We really appreciate support.”

The opening remarks were followed by two shooting competitions: one from behind the three-point arc and one from half court. Winners were awarded prizes from Tip-Off sponsors Aberdeen Barn, ZPizza, Buffalo Wild Wings and Red City Buffet. Free goodies such as cups, T-shirts and hats were tossed into the audience between activities. Later, the Tribal dancers and cheerleaders performed and Hathaway led the crowd through some cheers.

But the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the slam dunk competition.

Senior Danny Sumner started things off with a stylish slam after he bounced the ball in front of himself on his approach to the hoop. The panel of judges awarded him a score of 67 out of 70, which proved to be the top score of the first round. Freshman Kyle Gaillard followed by throwing down a two-handed dunk behind his head for 61 points. Sophomore Kendrix Brown earned himself a spot in the final round with a slick windmill jam. Meanwhile, junior Matt McFadden made a surprise entrance from the locker room dressed as the Burger King. Despite a showy leaping slam, he fell 0.7 shy of Brown’s score of 65.

Brown and Sumner advanced, but the final round belonged to Brown. He stunned the senior favorite by bouncing the ball off the backboard and slamming it down with authority to roaring applause.

“We thought Danny had it,” Shaver said. “Kendrix surprised us all.”

Even Reveley agreed that the dunk was the highlight of the night.

The women’s season opens Nov. 15 at home against Radford. The men have their home opener Nov. 19 against Richmond.

William and Mary (5-10, 1-4 CAA) entered Saturday’s matchup against no. 15 Duke (7-7, 0-4 ACC) seeking its first signature win of the season. Instead, the Tribe left Busch Field with a 4-1 defeat.

In its final home game of the season, the College was outscored 3-1 in the opening period, watching as the Blue Devils took 17 shots compared to 8 for the Tribe. Duke controlled the ball for the majority of the game, and the Tribe was frequently left overmatched.

“Duke is a great team. They have a lot of firepower, and they had two incredible goals off the corners that were almost indefensible,” Head Coach Peel Hawthorne said. “We probably could have cleaned up on some of the other shots a lot better, but two of the goals that [hit the crossbar and bounced in] it were a million to one.”

Despite Duke’s commanding first half performance, the College entered halftime with momentum thanks to two crucial plays. With three minutes remaining in the opening period, Duke forward Amie Survilla broke through the Tribe defense, with only sophomore goalkeeper Camilla Hill standing in the way of a potential score. Going toe to toe, Survilla fired a shot and Hill made an improbable diving save.

Shortly after Hill’s save, sophomore midfielder Kelsey Nawalinski provided the only Tribe point of the game with a clutch goal in the last second of the opening half.

“[The ball] was coming off the keeper, and then I just touched it out from in front of her and somehow got my shot out before she had enough time to get back to the far post,” Nawalinski said. “[It] ended up just getting in at the buzzer.”

Following the intermission, the Tribe began with a significant lineup change as Hawthorne replaced Hill with junior goalkeeper Carrie Thompson.“Literally, it was down to the pregame warmups as to who we would pick to start today. We knew going into it that there was a likelihood that we would make the switch at halftime, regardless of the score,”

Hawthorne said. “They have both been playing very well, and they both deserve to play.”

The two goalkeepers combined for 10 saves and 4 goals allowed on the evening.

Compared to the busy first half, in which 4 goals were scored between the two teams, Duke’s Mary Nielsen provided the only point of an otherwise uneventful second half with a goal in the 56th minute. The tally gave the Blue Devils the 4-1 margin of victory and the win.

Afterward, the College concentrated less on the final outcome and more on the effort put forth by the players.

“We played really well. We played as a team and didn’t come out with the win, but we have been building on every game,” Nawalinski said. “We haven’t had a lot of wins, but we have been getting better after each game, and a lot of good things came out of today.”

The Tribe will close out its season with three straight games against CAA opponents, starting with an Oct. 23 matchup against JMU. That game will be followed by road matches against VCU and Old Dominion.

Occasionally, defenders pinch forwards in the back, slip them an elbow or step on their ankles when referees turn away. Andrew Hoxie doesn’t mind — he enjoys retaliating, in his own style.

“I just score goals and walk away,” Hoxie said with a laugh.

“Just scoring goals” is an understatement. William and Mary’s senior forward is currently fifth in the NCAA in points per game and leads the CAA not only in goals (8) this season, but also in assists (10). And he does so despite a lingering groin injury that stems from an off-season surgery.

The limited playing time has not affected Hoxie’s approach to his on-the-field duties.

“I like to say it is my job to score goals,” Hoxie said. “And the guys expect it from me. I love the pressure situations.”

Not bad for an athlete who was cut from his eighth grade basketball team, a day he still remembers as a source of motivation. Since then, Hoxie said he has always hated not playing, whether in basketball, baseball or soccer, and has vowed to do whatever it takes to remain in action.

A decade removed from not making the basketball squad, the same drive to compete keeps Hoxie focused in spite of whatever obstacles stand in his path.

The biggest obstacle for a soccer forward, according to Head Coach Chris Norris, is overcoming the fear of taking a goal-scoring chance and not converting.

“He isn’t afraid to be the guy that takes responsibility for trying to score the goal, and that is a rare thing to see,” Norris said. “A lot of players get into good positions and at that final moment it will flash through their mind, ‘oh no what if I don’t score?’ [Andrew] gets excited and sees it as an opportunity to win the game for us, to score the goal that makes the difference, and it is almost as if he gains more composure in those situations.”

That composure has served Hoxie well in his career at the College. The fifth-year senior has netted 33 career goals, placing him tenth all-time in Tribe history. This year’s squad has high hopes, which should help Hoxie add to his impressive resume on the field late into November.

“This is the most talented squad I have played for in the five years I have been here,” Hoxie said. “Every one of our players, our coaches, know it. And we expect nothing less than to go far in the [NCAA] tournament. This is our year.”

Ironically for Hoxie, this year should never have occurred.

After earning valuable playing time as a freshman and sophomore, the Enid, Okla. native was ruled academically ineligible during his junior season.

“It was miserable,” Hoxie said. “Not being able to do anything when we were losing was the worst part. That is when I finally realized you have to be responsible and start going to class and start being an adult.”

The experience reminded him of a past one.

“It was like I was being cut from JV basketball again,” Hoxie said. “And I was so pissed off at myself for getting into that situation. It really lit a fire underneath me.”

With Hoxie gone and the team young, Norris was forced to start at least five freshmen each game and to find creative ways to score goals.

Luckily for the Tribe, Hoxie was able to re-focus on his studies and return to the pitch the following fall to join a group young but now experienced teammates.

“He loves to play,” Norris said. “For anyone who plays any sport, when it is taken away from you for a period of time I think that one, you gain a greater appreciation for it; two, it makes you that much hungrier to get back and do it again; and because of having to sit out that year, I think he definitely matured a lot and realized that his life is not just about playing, that there are a lot of other things that you have to do to make sure you are in a position to do the things you want to do.”

Hoxie put on muscle and learned the game from the sidelines. He filled out his 6’4” frame, moving from 185 lbs. to 210. For the first time, Hoxie felt as though he could use more than just his height to his advantage.

“I’ve always been tall, but I’ve always been really skinny as well,” Hoxie said. “Freshman and sophomore year I would get bodied off the ball. Now I like to be able to hit people and knock them off the ball.”

Growing up, Hoxie was used to being knocked off the ball. He has three competitive older brothers, all of whom played soccer in college. Even Hoxie’s parents thrived athletically in college. At Central College in Kansas, his father served as the football team’s quarterback and his mother excelled in volleyball and basketball.

Growing up with a father in the Air Force meant that Hoxie has called Arizona, Colorado, Washington state, Florida, Alabama, New Mexico, Virginia, Oklahoma and South Korea home. Despite the many moves, the love of soccer remained constant for the Hoxie brothers.

After he graduates from the College in December, Hoxie hopes to maintain that love and play professional soccer in either Major League Soccer (MLS) or an European league.

“He is a big target striker — very strong on the ball, holds people off well — but yet he has the brains and the technique to play make,” Norris said. “It is very rare to find guys that have that combination of skills.

And that will serve him well if he continues to play because there is certainly a market for what he does, and there are very few people that can fill that role.”

For now, Hoxie has centered his focus on the six remaining CAA games of the 2009 regular season, with aspirations for a postseason run culminating with a trip deep into the NCAA Tournament. He will look to lead the Tribe and cement himself as one of the top forwards in the country, a goal his coach thinks is within reach.

“There are definitely some good front players,” Norris said. “But I wouldn’t trade him for anybody else in college soccer right now.”