VCU penetrated William and Mary’s
defense Sunday at Sports Backer Stadium,
but failed to net any field goals, allowing
the Tribe to outscore the Rams 1-0.
The Rams’ aggressive offense dominated
the first half, pressing through the
Tribe’s defensive wall and maintaining
control of the field. But the Tribe’s effective
goalkeeping prevented the Rams
from capitalizing on scoring opportunities,
and a Ram goal remained elusive
throughout the first half.
Tribe junior Abby Lauer nearly
gave William and Mary the lead with
a strong pass to the center of the field
that ended up being too long, and the
match remained scoreless.
It looked as if Jasmine Riley (Arlington/
Wakefield) would be sidelined with
an injury after hitting the grass while
blocking a Tribe drive in what became
an increasingly physical battle for control
of the game.
Riley returned to the field, though,
and became one of the standout players
of the game, fighting the Tribe’s defense,
keeping the ball in bounds and sideline
driving only to be thwarted time and
time again. Newly named CAA Player of
the Week, sophomore Myriam Bouchard
(Quebec, Canada/Cardinal Roy) provided
solid defense with adeptly aimed
headers, and her presence all over the
field was beginning to show.
More legs and arms locked in play,
and Stephanie Power (Dartmouth,
Nova Scotia/Dartmouth) scrambled to
assist and drive home goals, all eventually
blocked by the
Tribe.
William and
Mary senior Emily
Kittleson scored
a g o a l w i t h a
scant 10 minutes
remaining in the
first half, preventing
the teams from
going to the locker
room with a score
of 0-0 and giving
Tribe fans their
first chance to roar
in the stands.
The Tribe, coming
off a 2-0 defeat
at JMU on Oct. 12,
succeeded in keeping
up the level
of defense in the
second half. The
toll of the Rams’
running more players
tumbled as the
referee endured
calls from Tribe
fans to make calls
in their team’s favor. The Rams knew
to use the Tribe’s exhaustion to their
advantage and ran their opponent all
over the field. The Rams prevented the
Tribe from coming close to the goal
again, but still they could not get past
the Tribe’s goalkeeper, Meghan Walker,
to score.
With less than two minutes left in
play, the Tribe, despite having been hit
hard and run ragged all afternoon, knew
that the game was won. By blocking
one more Rams goal attempt and then
getting the ball off the field, the Tribe
claimed victory.
VCU lost both matches over the
weekend, falling to 7-6-1 overall and
4-2 in the CAA.
The Rams return to action for a road
trip Oct. 19 at Northeastern and Oct.
21 at Hofstra.