Tribe Women Host Northeastern, Hofstra

Courtesy TribeAthletics.com

Thu, October 18, 2012 

 

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary women's soccer team will play a pair Colonial Athletic Association home matches this weekend at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field.  On Friday, the Tribe will face off against Northeastern in a match scheduled for 7 p.m., while it will hosts Hofstra for senior day on Sunday at 2 p.m.  Prior to Sunday's contest, W&M will honor its nine-member senior class - Jackie Blake-Hedges, Cortlyn Bristol, Kiersten Harpe, Erin Liberatore, Carla Manger, Mallory Schaffer, Carson Scott, Katrina Smedley and Annie Yu.  Fans can follow the weekend action online at TribeAthletics.com with live video and stats.  

Scouting the Tribe
W&M will close its regular-season slate with three contests at the friendly confines of Martin Family Stadium at Albert Daly Field.  The three consecutive home matches will begin with Northeastern (Oct. 19), followed by Hofstra (Oct. 21) and Old Dominion (Oct. 24).  Last weekend, the Green and Gold dropped a pair of tightly contested 1-0 matches at Delaware and at Drexel.  Senior Mallory Schaffer leads the Tribe with 20 points, coming on nine goals and two assists.  Classmate Cortlyn Bristol leads the CAA with 11 assists to go along with four goals.  Junior Dani Rutter has tallied 11 points on four goals and three assists, while freshman Nicole Baxter has netted three scores and one assist.    

Scouting the Huskies
Northeastern comes to town with an overall record of 7-8 and a CAA mark of 5-2.  In their last outing, the Huskies defeated George Mason, 2-0, in Fairfax, Va., as sophomore Hannah O'Donnell scored twice in the victory over the Patriots.  Senior Greta Samuelsdottir leads NU with five goals and two assists, while O'Donnell has netted four scores and one helper.  The Huskies have won six out of their last eight matches under third year head coach Tracey Leone. 

Scouting the Pride
Hofstra, which sits atop the CAA standings with a mark of 6-1, will play at Old Dominion on Friday evening before traveling to Williamsburg on Sunday afternoon.  With an overall record of 10-5, Hofstra defeated Towson in its last match, 3-1, as sophomores Lulu Echeverry and Sam Scolarici each connected on goals.  Freshman Leah Galton leads the Pride with 19 points coming on eight goals and three assists, while Echeverry has netted seven goals and three helpers.  Head coach Simon Riddiough is in his seventh season at the helm of the Pride program.      

News and Notes:
- On Wednesday, senior Mallory Schaffer was named as one of 10 national finalists for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award for women's soccer.  The award identifies the Division I senior athlete who best defines success on and off of the field.  The winner of the Senior CLASS Award will be announced during the 2012 College Cup Championship, which will take place in San Diego, Calf., on Nov. 30 through Dec. 2.

- Prior to its match against Hofstra on Sunday afternoon, the College will honor its nine member senior class in a pregame ceremony.  This season's senior class includes, Jackie Blake-Hedges, Cortlyn Bristol, Kiersten Harpe, Erin Liberatore, Carla Manger, Mallory Schaffer, Carson Scott, Katrina Smedley and Annie Yu.  This class has accounted for 50 wins during the past four seasons, which included a 2011 CAA Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. 

- Friday's match will be the eighth meeting between W&M and Northeastern, as the Tribe leads the all-time series 3-2-2. Last season, the College defeated the Huskies, 3-1, in Boston, Mass., behind senior Mallory Schaffer's two goals.

- Sunday's contest will be the 13th meeting between the College and Hofstra, as the Green and Gold own the series advantage, 8-5.  In 2011, W&M increased its winning streak to eight matches after senior Cortlyn Bristol netted the game-winning goal in the 77th minute.

- The College's save percentage of 0.867 ranks 16th in the nation, while its shutout percentage of 0.563 stands at 17th.  Additionally, the Tribe's 0.68 goals against average ranks 31st in the country. For the year, W&M has surrendered just 11 goals, which are tied with the fewest allowed in the CAA with Drexel, while it also ranks first in the league with 249 shots taken on the season.  Furthermore, the Tribe ranks third in goals (29), goals per game (1.81) and assists (26).

- Individually, senior Cortlyn Bristol is tied for tops in the nation with 11 assists, while her 0.69 helpers per outing rank third in the country.  Freshman Caroline Casey's save percentage of 0.851 stands at 33rd best in the country, while senior Malloy Schaffer's nine goals this season rank 49th in the nation.