Tribe Men's Soccer Falls to VCU, 2-1, in CAA Championship

11/17/02

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA - William and Mary’s 25th-ranked men’s soccer team could not pull off the upset over No. 18 Virginia Commonwealth, losing to the Rams, 2-1, in the Colonial Athletic Association final this afternoon at the Sportsplex in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The loss drops the Tribe’s record to 13-7-1 on the year, while VCU improves to 15-4-1.

Neither team could score in the first half, but the Tribe struck early in the second to take a 1-0 lead. Redshirt-freshman Clayton Voss (Reston, VA), playing in an attacking position to begin the period, recorded the goal in the 47th minute. He received the ball at the top left corner of the box, beat a pair of VCU defenders and scored with a shot to the right side from 12 yards out, the first goal of his career.

VCU responded with a goal 3:27 later to tie the match at one. VCU’s Matt Pauls passed to Matthew Delicate at the top of the box, who then fired a quick shot past the diving Tribe keeper, senior Trevor Upton (Richmond, VA). The Rams took a 2-1 lead in the 69th minute, as Milorad Djordjevic headed in a corner kick by Gonzales Segares. W&M’s Upton made a number of outstanding saves to keep the margin at one, including his 79th-minute block and diving save of a penalty kick by VCU’s Christian Neagu.

The Tribe was outshot, 15-12, and did not take a corner kick in the game, while the Rams took three. Upton made seven saves in the match, while VCU goalkeeper Saul Montero stopped three shots.

William and Mary must now wait to learn if its season will continue with an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. The 48-team field will be announced live on ESPN2 tomorrow, November 18, at 4:30 PM.