The no. 2 and no. 5 FCS teams in the country met Saturday night in Villanova, Pa., and the result was a mismatch on the stats sheet. Consider these numbers:

Team A ran 86 offensive plays, gained 472 total yards and 27 first downs. They racked up over 32 minutes of possession and went 10 for 19 on third down chances.

Team B managed only 283 yards and 15 first downs on 52 plays. That squad was able to convert only 3 of its 10 third down opportunities.

The two teams aren’t who you think. Team A is William and Mary, who fell to its first loss of the season. Team B is the Villanova Wildcats, who improved to 5-0 by thoroughly beating the Tribe 28-17. The College led in nearly every major statistical category, but spent nearly the entire game trailing by a significant margin.

The key? Mistakes.

“It’s pretty evident that when we were doing things right, we were fine,” Head Coach Jimmye Laycock said. “But when we were turning it over and committing penalties and things like that, we weren’t fine. I think ultimately that’s what did us in.”

With the exception of maybe five or six plays, Laycock’s Tribe would have rolled to a comfortable victory. Instead, the team cost itself repeatedly with key mistakes, and never seriously threatened the Wildcats’s lead after the first quarter.

For that reason, all the above-mentioned statistics can be thrown out for the three that really mattered in this game. The College committed 8 penalties for 75 yards — often at key junctures — and turned the ball over twice. They scored only 14 points despite being in the red-zone five times. Villanova had only 2 penalties for 15 yards and did not commit a turnover. The Wildcats scored a touchdown on each of their three red zone opportunities.

Nowhere was that disparity more evident than on a pair of plays late in the first quarter.

After the Wildcats jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, the teams traded punts. On the Tribe’s second possession, senior quarterback R.J. Archer marched the offense quickly down the field to the Villanova eight-yard line. There, with the College threatening to tie the score, he was picked off in the end zone.
The Tribe defense stepped up and forced a fourth down almost immediately after senior cornerback Terrell Wells delivered a jolting hit to a Villanova wide receiver. But then, senior defensive end C.J. Herbert picked up an inexcusable 15-yard taunting penalty after the play was over. First down, Wildcats. Tribe momentum? Gone for good.

From there, Villanova drove the length of the field and scored a touchdown to go up 14-0. The College never came within a possession again.

There are clear positives that the Tribe can take from this game. Villanova might be the best team in the country, and a loss to the Wildcats on the road is certainly excusable. Furthermore, for the majority of the contest, the College actually outplayed Villanova, proving that from a talent standpoint, the squad belongs among the FCS elite.

But when two top teams meet, the game is almost always going to come down to a handful of plays that will decide the game. Villanova played mistake-free football Saturday and made sure that each of those decisive plays went their way.

Laycock will not be happy with the weekend’s result; but Tribe fans can be sure that he will make adjustments to cut down on those mistakes.

The College got a wake-up call this week. But a regular season contest at one of the best teams in the country is an ideal opportunity to learn something about your team and improve.

The Tribe has plenty of tough games remaining, but they will likely enter them mentally tougher than before.
The FCS is not the BCS, and a single loss does not ruin a season.

It certainly won’t ruin the College’s.

William and Mary (9-3) came into the weekend having won its first two conference matches — an impressive start to its CAA season. However, as the Tribe learned over the weekend: it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

The Tribe split a pair of matches this weekend, defeating Drexel 1-0 Sunday after dropping Friday’s match against Delaware 1-0. The Tribe outshot the Dragons 26-4 Sunday, yet only tallied one goal, a header from freshman midfielder Cortlyn Bristol off a set-piece played into the box by junior back Kaitlin O’Connor in the 27th minute.

“I’m not usually in the plays to head the ball, so I figured I’d just follow in behind everyone,” Bristol said. “I saw it, stuck a head in there and hopefully tried to at least keep it in play.”

Aside from Bristol, the Tribe was unable to find the back of the net, despite putting 9 shots on goal. Freshman forward Erin Liberatore came the closest but was denied in the 26th minute
when her 10-yard volley hit the right post.

“Our finishing was awful,” Head Coach John Daly said. “I mean, we should have beaten this team by five goals with the chances we had.”

The Tribe has made a habit of keeping opposing teams in the match, having scored one goal or less 7 out of their last 10 matches. The pattern is often the same: The Tribe fails to put the ball in the net early, forcing junior goalkeeper Grace Barnard to have to come up with at least one close save later in the match.

Barnard’s save came in the 59th minute Sunday, when she dove to her left to stone Drexel midfielder Jourdan Halasz who had come free on a long ball played forward.

“We’ve just got to keep concentrating on working hard in midfield, and we have to do a better job of getting the ball in the box and finishing it,” Daly said.

The Tribe’s best scoring chance Friday versus Delaware came in the 86th minute on a free kick from junior back Kaitlin O’Connor. Directly in front of the box, 20 yards away from the goal, O’Connor sent the ball high to the center of the net, but Blue Hen keeper Annie Bevan punched the ball over the crossbar, ending the Tribe’s best scoring chance.

“I had one like that in the game last week, and [Daly] told me to hit the heck out of it because it’s not far out enough where it will be able to drop,” O’Connor said. “If I could have, I obviously would have gone a little to the right.”

The Blue Hens scored the game’s only goal four minutes into the match on a goal from Kasie Shover. The Tribe spent the rest of the match playing catch-up and missing on passes.

“We weren’t connecting. We just weren’t on the same page [Friday] and it is unfortunate,” O’Connor said.

The College begins a four-game road trip starting at Northeastern Friday night. The Huskies are 7-3-1 on the season and are currently ranked fifth in the CAA with a conference record of 2-1-1. Last season the Tribe beat Northeastern 3-2 after registering two second half goals to seal the comeback victory. The College will then travel to Hofstra for a Sunday afternoon contest.

Field Hockey: College splits weekend CAA road contests, now 5-7

William and Mary (5-7, 1-2) took one out of two conference games this weekend, defeating Towson 2-0 Friday while dropping Sunday’s match-up versus Delaware 2-0. Sophomore defender Jen Harr and sophomore midfielder Kelsey Nawalinski each tallied a goal for the Tribe Friday, while sophomore goalkeeper Camilla Hill recorded the first shutout of her career. Sophomore Leah Zamesnik recorded an assist versus the Tigers for the Tribe.

Volleyball: Moloney leads Tribe past Dukes and Patriots

The Tribe (13-6, 2-2) defeated both James Madison and George Mason 3-2 last weekend thanks in large part to the efforts of freshman setter Jordyn Moloney. Moloney recorded double-digit dig numbers in both matches while also setting career highs in assists with 54 Saturday versus George Mason. Moloney set many of those balls for junior hitter Erin Skipper, who scored 23 kills in both matches to earn co-CAA Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Cross Country: Men finish second, women third at OSU Jamboree

The College took home top-three finishes in both men’s and women’s cross country last weekend at the OSU Cowboy Jamboree. The men’s squad, ranked 13th in the country, finished second with senior John Grey, junior Patterson Wilhelm and senior Colin Leak each finishing in the top-ten. The women’s team finished third, led by senior Emily Anderson who finished tenth with a time of 17:46.9. The team’s total score of 159 placed them ahead of 16th ranked Northern Arizona.

After the Tribe dropped its conference opener last weekend, following three consecutive losses the week before, Head Coach Melissa Shelton gathered the squad for a team meeting.

“We readjusted and refocused on our goal – a CAA Tournament bid,” freshman middle Shaylin O’Connell said.

Over the weekend, with two matches against CAA-foes, James Madison and George Mason, the Tribe knew they had to bounce back.

“We wanted to show the conference that we’re in it to win it,” O’Connell said.

And that’s just what happened, as the College (9-7, 2-1 CAA) ended its losing streak by sweeping a pair of weekend matches.

The College began strong Friday evening at James Madison (6-13, 0-4 CAA), winning the first two sets 25-19 and 25-23, respectively. Then, the Dukes rallied to win a back-and-forth third set, 28-26. In the fourth set, the Tribe led for a majority of the set, but was unable to stave off a late 7-0 Dukes run, dropping the set 25-22.

In the fifth and decisive set, the determined Tribe came out to a 12-2 lead behind service from sophomore hitter Lindsay Kresch and freshman setter Jordyn Moloney. The College was able to cruise to a 15-5 victory after O’Connell notched the final kill, winning the match, 3-2.

Junior hitter Erin Skipper finished with a season high 23 kills for the Tribe, while only recording two errors. Moloney totaled 42 assists and 18 digs for the match and Kresch added 15 kills and nine digs. Senior libero Lindsey Pflugner, registered 26 digs and junior middle Ginny Bray scored a match-high six blocks.

The following night, the College looked to continue its success, this time against George Mason (13-3, 2-2 CAA). The Patriots began the contest taking the first set 25-15, holding the Tribe to a sub-zero attack percentage. Then, the College countered, winning a close second set, 26-24, and powering to an easy third set victory, 25-18, holding the host school to a mere six kills.

The Patriots battled back in the fourth set to win 25-22, setting up a tie-breaking set. In the fifth set, the two squads accounted for seven ties and multiple lead changes, the final one during a 7-3 run that clinched the set and match for the Tribe.

Skipper amassed 23 kills for the second match in a row, while Moloney recorded her second double-double of the weekend, with 13 digs and a career-high 54 assists. Kresch also had a double-double, with 13 kills and 12 digs. Senior hitters Lauren Powell and Bryana Carey accumulated 23 and 19 digs, respectively, and Pflugner added 20 digs in the winning effort.

The College, now tied for second in the CAA, will face Georgia State and UNC-Wilmington this weekend at the Kaplan Arena.

In a game riddled with fouls and missed calls, it was not a surprise that the better team did not win Saturday night. William and Mary (6-3, 1-1 CAA) out-shot, out-possessed and, for the majority of the match, outworked George Mason (7-2, 2-0 CAA), but when time expired it was the Patriots who emerged with the 1-0 victory at Albert-Daly Field.

“We expected them to be just like they were — to be good, to be physical,” junior midfielder Nat Baako said. “We played well, we just didn’t execute our chances well. We weren’t patient enough in front of the goal. They had one chance and that was it for them, really, and that was all they needed.”

Mason’s lone goal came in the 53rd minute. Ernesto Marquez snuck into the box unmarked and tapped in a low cross at the near post for the game’s only score. The Patriots relied on tough defense and physical play the rest of the way.

Marquez’s first goal of the year served as a wake-up call for the Tribe, which began the second half on its heels. The College recovered to register 11 second half shots, including junior forward Alan Koger’s challenge in the 88th minute that rang off the post before freshman midfielder Chris Perez pushed the rebound wide of an empty net.

“The response [to Marquez’s goal] was good,” Head Coach Chris Norris said. “We continue to go in a period at the beginning of the second half that [opposing teams] come out and outwork us. And it’s a shame, because I think for the majority of the game we were the better team.”

With Mason’s defense pushed back, the College had a large advantage in possession. However, the Patriots forced the play to the outside of the pitch and the Tribe struggled to find room in the center for quality chances without senior forward Andrew Hoxie, who left the game in the eighth minute due to injury.

Baako and Koger led the College with five and six shots, respectively. Baako’s best chance came in the 21st minute after his initial shot was denied before collecting the loose ball and drilling a waist-high attempt toward the net. The ball was blocked in the box by a Mason defender’s outstretched arm, but no handball was called.

The non-call was one of six unofficially tallied handballs by the Patriots, including two inside of the 18. In the game, there were a combined 34 fouls and two yellow cards.

“[The physical play] definitely affected the rhythm a little bit,” Baako said. “We love to move the ball around. The way they were playing physically, it made our rhythm a little bit off.”

The College finished the match with 19 of the game’s 31 shots and a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks. Junior goalie Andrew McAdams was strong when called upon, making four saves — three in the second half.

“I don’t think [the better team won],” Baako said. “I think we were the better team. The shots on goal, the possession of the ball shows that. We dominated the game. That’s soccer for you; it’s not always the better team wins.”

The Tribe returns to finish its three-game home swing Wednesday night when the team hosts Old Dominion at 7 p.m. at Albert-Daly Field.

GAME NOTES: Andrew Hoxie started in only nine of 21 games last season due to a groin injury … Andrew McAdams extended his streak of not allowing a first half goal to 11 games … The Tribe now holds a 22-15-5 all-time record against George Mason … The College recorded six of the game’s last seven shots.

Sometimes the statistics lie. William and Mary outgained Villanova by 189 yards Saturday evening. The fifth-ranked Tribe picked up 12 more first downs and possessed the ball for five more minutes than the Wildcats. But no. 2 Villanova came out on top in the only statistic that matters — the final score — with a 28-17 victory over the Tribe at Villanova Stadium.

William and Mary (4-1, 1-1 CAA) was unable to come away with touchdowns on four of five trips to the red zone, and the team was penalized eight times for 75 yards in a game that got off to an ominous start for the Tribe.

On the first play from scrimmage, a Villanova (5-0, 2-0 CAA) flea flicker resulted in a 57-yard touchdown. But while the play put the Tribe defense on its heels, an ill-advised unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the team, committed after a third-down stop two possessions later, opened the floodgates for Villanova’s 21 first half points.

The play occurred on a third and nine from Villanova’s 21-yard line. The Wildcats ran an end-around looking for first-down yardage, but sophomore cornerback Terrell Wells was ready and delivered a bone-shattering hit on the Wildcat runner. Before the Tribe could exit the field, a flag for taunting was thrown.

“We had been preparing for that play throughout the entire week. They’ve gotten a lot of yards on those under routes, coming around the other sideline, and I was just sitting there waiting on it,” Wells said. “[The penalty was] a big change of momentum. It’s a little shock right there, but when you’re a good defense you have to just step up and turn things around.”

The Tribe was unable to do so. Villanova scored a touchdown six plays later to take a 14-0 lead. The Wildcats stretched the advantage to 21-9 by halftime.

Senior quarterback R.J. Archer, wearing a brace to protect his banged-up left knee, threw a school-record 55 times, completing 35 passes for 354 yards.

But Archer was unable to guide the Tribe into the end zone until late in the fourth quarter, when a four-yard pass to junior wideout Chase Hill gave the Tribe a touchdown after the game was all but decided.

The offense suffered two turnovers — the first on an end-zone interception on the Tribe’s first offensive possession — and Villanova turned both turnovers into touchdowns.

“They’re a good team, we knew that,” Head Coach Jimmye Laycock said. “But when you play a good team you better play pretty well, execute pretty well, and not make mistakes, and not get penalties and not turn it over and things like that. And we did that, so we’re on the short end of the stick.”

While the taunting penalty swung momentum in the first half, holding and personal foul penalties killed two second half drives for the Tribe.

“We were moving the ball when we weren’t shooting ourselves in the foot, putting ourselves in long-yardage situations,” Laycock said. “When we weren’t doing that, we were pretty good.”

The Tribe ran 86 plays from scrimmage, 34 more than Villanova, and gained 472 total yards. Yet the team struggled inside the 20-yard line on both sides of the ball. While the offensive was unable to punch the ball in for scores, the Tribe’s defense yielded red zone touchdowns on each of Villanova’s three trips inside the 20 yard line.

“We prepared this week, and they came out and executed everything that they do, and they did it well today,” Wells said. “We just weren’t on top of our game.”

The Tribe returns to action next week when the College travels to Boston, Mass. to take on the 0-5 Northeastern Huskies. Senior defensive tackle Sean Lissemore said the team would put Saturday’s game behind them.

“We’ve just got to go 1-0 every week,” Lissemore said. “We’ve got to approach it like it’s a clean slate, that’s it.”