After failing to win any of its first six matches of its 2026 campaign, William and Mary women’s soccer (3-5-3, 2-1-1 CAA) is on a sharp turnaround. Friday, Oct. 2, the Tribe defeated Coastal Athletic Association foe Campbell (3-6-4, 0-2-2 CAA) 2-1 at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field in Williamsburg, Va. The Green and Gold has now won two consecutive CAA matches and three of its last five matches overall.
“I think we have had a lot of improvement in the last three or four weeks,” head coach Julie Shackford ’88 said. “I think they have shown a lot of resilience.”
Two first-half goals from freshman forward Ava Magnuson helped the Tribe hold off a late storm from the visiting Camels.
Campbell controlled the early tempo, forcing William and Mary junior goalkeeper Mia Tegeris into action in the 7th minute. Camels junior defender Gillian Garrison carved out space in the Tribe box for a shot on target.
The Camels kept up the pressure throughout the opening 20 minutes, floating several dangerous corner kicks into the box. However, Tegeris repeatedly came off her line to punch away the threat.
In the 22nd minute, the Tribe took full advantage of a defensive breakdown. After the Camels failed to clear a pass from sophomore midfielder Mia Abbey to the right of the box, Magnuson pounced on the loose ball and slotted it past senior goalkeeper Anaïs van Doesberg.
The Tribe doubled its advantage in the 31st minute. Freshman defender/midfielder Ashley DeLeo threaded a long ball out of the back to Magnuson, who rounded van Doesberg and tapped the ball into an open net.
“She just finds her opportunities, and that is the sign of a good player,” Shackford said.
Magnuson’s pair of strikes raised her season total to four, giving her team a 2-0 lead at the break.
Despite spending most of the opening period on their back heels, the visitors started the second half on the front foot.
In the 50th minute, that early pressure paid off. Garrison capitalized on a defensive mix-up in the Tribe’s 18-yard box, nodding a header past Tegeris to slice William and Mary’s lead in half.
From there, Campbell pinned the Tribe in its own end — something Shackford viewed as a positive.
“I think that was good for us to come through that,” she said.
Holding on to the narrowest of advantages, the Tribe caught a break in the 72nd minute.
Sophomore midfielder/defender Ella Ledwith appeared to commit a foul on the edge of the box. The referee, however, ruled that the contact occurred just outside the penalty area, awarding Campbell a free kick instead of a penalty shot.
Campbell senior midfielder Zahra Fepessi stepped up for the set piece but bent her shot wide of the Tribe’s right post.
The final 15 minutes turned into a defensive siege, with Campbell launching waves of attacks against a staunch William and Mary defense.
“They had some serious momentum,” Shackford said.
The Tribe repelled every push, with all 10 field players dropping back to boot the ball out of harm’s way.
The referee blew the final whistle mid-play as the Camels desperately pushed forward for one last shot.
Facing three road games in the next two weeks, Shackford said “really good team defense against strong, physical teams” will be key to keeping the win streak going.
“We are hopefully peaking at the right time,” she said.
Thursday, Oct. 8, the Tribe will face Hofstra (3-5-4, 2-0-2 CAA) at Hofstra Soccer Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.
