W&M Men's Soccer Defeats James Madison, 2-1

Tribe Gets Win in First CAA Match of the Season

10/11/02

WILLIAMSBURG, VA - William and Mary’s men’s soccer team defeated James Madison, 2-1, tonight at Busch Field in the Tribe’s first Colonial Athletic Association match of the season. The win evens W&M’s record at 5-5-0 (1-0-0 CAA), while the JMU Dukes fall to 4-8-0 (0-2-0 CAA).

W&M went up 1-0 early in the game, as senior midfielder Ralph Bean (Devonshire, Bermuda) fed the ball to junior midfielder Graham Albert (Williamsburg, VA) who headed it into the net in the 18th minute. Neither team scored again in the period, which saw the Tribe gain a one-man advantage on the field as JMU’s Curt Nottingham was shown a red card in the 42nd minute, causing the Dukes to play with only 10 men for the remainder of the contest.

The Dukes fought through the adversity, however, and evened the score in the 75th minute as Andrew Rutledge fired a shot into the net to tie the match at one. W&M kept the game from going to overtime with a score by Bean in the 85th minute. Senior midfielder Doug Henry (Shorewood, WI) tipped a loose ball in the box out to Bean who scored his team-high fifth goal of the season.

“It is very difficult playing a team that’s down a man and has nothing to lose,” said Tribe head coach Al Albert following the contest. “In the second half I thought the game went about the way I expected it to go. I knew that if we didn’t score again we would have a problem, and I’m glad that Ralph stepped up and scored the game-winner for us. I thought JMU showed a lot of heart in the second half and I’m sure it was tough for them to lose in regulation.”

William and Mary outshot the Dukes, 11-6, and held a three to one advantage in corner kicks.

The Tribe was scheduled to face George Mason at home tomorrow, but that game has been postponed. A date for the match is expected to be announced sometime next week. Tomorrow GMU will play at Old Dominion in a match that was postponed from this evening due to adverse weather conditions. W&M’s next scheduled match is a 3:00 PM CAA contest at Towson next Friday, October 18.null