William And Mary Moves On To The Next Round

Nov. 21, 2010


Courtesy of William And Mary

Williamsburg, Va. - The #9-ranked William and Mary Tribe men’s soccer earned its fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen on Sunday night at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field, advancing past the UMBC Retrievers in a penalty kick shootout. The Tribe’s mark on the season moves to 15-3-3 as the match officially goes in the record book as a tie.

With the victory, the College advances to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2002 season. The match with UMBC was the third in Tribe NCAA Tournament history that was decided by penalty kicks, with the College advancing all three times.





Senior Andrew McAdams was the star of the match for the College, making two saves, including a critical stop on a UMBC penalty kick in the second half. Senior Nathaniel Baako led the Green and Gold with four shots, getting two on goal.

In a first half that saw the Tribe hold the bulk of possession, the Tribe was able to out-shoot the Retrievers, but neither team would be able to get a score in the first 45 minutes. In the first frame, the Tribe took seven shots, getting four on-goal, while UMBC fired six shots but the Retrievers were unable to get any of their looks on frame.

In the 10th minute, the Tribe got its first good look at goal when on the attack, senior Alan Koger possessed the ball on the left side of the box. Koger cracked a shot from 16 yards towards the far post, only to see the UMBC goalie make a sprawling save.

Less than four minutes later, the College came inches away from tallying the match’s first score. On the attack, senior Michael DiNuzzo sent a ball in to the box from the right wing. The pass found Baako, who flicked the ball backwards toward goal. The UMBC keeper once again made a nice save, pushing the ball just high of the crossbar and out of bounds.

In the second half, the Tribe would again out shot the Retrievers, 6-4, but it would be a save that would be the story of the half.

In the 66th minute, UMBC would be awarded a penalty kick after a foul was called on the Tribe in the 18-yard box. UMBC”s Levi Houapeu, the America East Player of the Year, would be the one to take the kick. Houapeu fired on goal to his right, but McAdams was there to making a diving save. The ball came right back to the foot of Houapeu, however, but his second attempt sailed high of the crossbar and out of danger.

After surviving the penalty kick, the College went on the offensive looking for the breakthrough. For the remainder of the second half, the Tribe would take four shots, getting two of those attempts on goal. The Retrievers would not get a shot off for the rest of the half.

At the end of 90 minutes, the score remained 0-0 and the Tribe would head to overtime for the third time in its past four matches. In the first overtime period, neither team would get a real good look for the match winner, with W&M taking one shot and the Retrievers taking none. The game would head to a second overtime, still tied, 0-0.

The second overtime would see considerably more action, as the Tribe had two shots to UMBC’s one. Baako had the College’s best look at a winner in the 109th minute, but his shot on frame would be saved by the Retrievers’ goalie. With the game still scoreless at 0-0, the match would head to a penalty kick shootout.

In the first round of the shootout, both players would make their attempts, putting the shootout score at 1-1. In the second round, however, McAdams would make the save of his career, again denying Houapeu on his shot. Houapeu again tried to go to his left, but McAdams was there to make the diving stop. After Ben Anderson made his attempt, the College held a 2-1 lead after two rounds.

In the following two rounds, both team would make their attempts. Converting for the Tribe was freshman Roshan Patel as well as senior Michael DiNuzzo. Heading into the fifth round of the shootout, the Tribe held a 4-3 advantage.

UMBC’s John Waraksa stepped up to take the fifth shot for the Retrievers, attempting to tie the shootout and force the Tribe to make its final attempt. Waraksa tried to beat McAdams high, but he put too much into the shot and it sailed high of the crossbar, advancing the Tribe to the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

NCAA Men's College Cup