Tribe Opens Season at Home

W&M will host Elon on Saturday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m.

08/30/07 1:00PM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary men’s soccer team will open the 2007 season at the friendly confines of Albert-Daly Field when it hosts Elon on Saturday, Sept. 1. The contest is slated for a 7 p.m. kick off.

For complete W&M men's soccer notes, click HERE.

W&M Home Games Live Over the Internet
All nine W&M men’s soccer home matches will be broadcast live over Internet at TribeAthletics.com. Click on the Live Audio link at the top of the homepage or on the Listen Live link on the schedule.

Tribe News and Notes
- W&M is 29-6-2 all-time in home openers. The Tribe is a perfect 3-0 under head coach Chris Norris in home openers.

- The Tribe was 1-0-3 in overtime games last season.

- Senior midfielder Doug Ernst is the Tribe’s top returning scorers finishing with 15 points on three goals and nine assists. His nine assists led the CAA last season.

- The meeting between W&M and Elon will be the first-ever between the two schools.

- Two former W&M players are currently playing professionally in Major League Soccer (MLS) and with a club in the Norway. Wade Barrett (1994-97) is in his second season with the Houston Dynamo, after captaining the club to the 2006 MLS Cup. He has earned 23 starts this season, assisting on two goals. The Dynamo currently lead the MLS Western Division. Former All-American Adin Brown (1996-99) is the first-team goalkeeper for Aalesunds FK in Norway. Brown has five shutouts in 18 games for Aalesunds FK and even scored the last-minute equalizing header against defending champion Rosenborg in July. In total, over 28 former Tribe players have played pro soccer at some level.

- The Tribe is 10-7-8 in the first three seasons at Albert-Daly Field.

Scouting Elon
The Phoenix returns four starters and 14 letterwinners from a squad that went 10-8-2 overall and 3-3-1 in the Southern Conference during the 2006 season. Elon was picked fourth in the Southern Conference by the league’s head coaches during the preseason behind Furman, UNC Greensboro and Appalachian State.

Elon played a pair of preseason exhibition matches against Campbell and Coastal Carolina, racking up a 0-1-1 record. The Phoenix dropped its exhibition opener to Campbell, 2-1, with Steven Kinney scoring the lone Elon goal. The Phoenix closed out the exhibition slate with a 1-1 tie against Coastal Carolina on Aug. 27. After falling behind, 1-0, the Phoenix tallied the equalizer as sophomore forward Justin Wyatt found the back of the net off a cross from junior Andrew Johnson.

Senior midfielder Brett Paschall was selected by the Southern Conference’s men’s soccer coaches to the 2007 Preseason All-SoCon team. Last season, he finished with eight points on three goals and two assists. For his career, Paschall has 17 goals and tallied 10 assists. Wyatt is the Phoenix top returning scorer from last season after scoring four goals and dishing out two assists for 10 points.

Last season, Elon garnered a national ranking of No. 22 after jumping out to a 6-1 mark, including a 2-0 victory over then-No. 17 UAB. W&M and Elon had five common opponents last season in Virginia Tech, UNC Greensboro, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Old Dominion. The Phoenix was 0-5 against group, while W&M was 1-4. The Tribe defeated UNC Greensboro, 5-1, at the ODU Stihl Soccer Classic, while Elon fell to UNCG, 3-1. The contest will be the first-ever meeting between Elon and W&M.

The Dish
Senior Doug Ernst enjoyed a breakout season in 2006 finishing the year with 15 points on three goals and nine assists. He established himself as one of the top playmakers in the CAA. Ernst returns as the CAA’s assist champion from a season ago, ranking No. 1 in the league in overall games and in conference contests. He dished out five assists during the league portion of the 2006 schedule.

Ernst’s nine assists were the most for a Tribe player since the 2002 season when Ralph Bean and Carlos Garcia each had 11 helpers. On two occasions in 2006, Ernst recorded multiple assist games. He tallied a pair of helps in the season-opening victory over Stony Brook and accomplished the feat again against Drexel. He became the first W&M player to notched a pair of multiple assist games in a season since Phil Hucles had two, two-assist games in 2003.

Oh Captain, My Captain
Senior Ryan Overdevest and junior Doug McBride were named the Tribe’s co-captains for the 2007 season. The pair will lead a talented but young W&M squad that includes 17 underclassmen (freshmen, redshirt freshmen and sophomores).

Overdevest has been a spot starter and a heavy contributor over the last two seasons. He earned Second-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors as a junior in 2007. He started four matches and played in 15 overall last season, finishing with three points on a goal and an assist. Over his W&M career, the Bridgeton, N.J., native has played in 40 matches, while earning eight starts. During the spring, Overdevest was honored with the William and Mary Robert M. Usry Award given to a varsity athlete who has earned at least one varsity letter, has the highest GPA of any athlete at the end of his/her junior year and has completed 75 percent of his/her degree requirements for graduation.

McBride has started 34 of the 35 games in which he has played over the last two seasons. A constant in the middle of the park for the College, Norris described his midfield dynamo as the most underrated player in the talent-heavy Colonial Athletic Association. Each of the last two seasons, McBride was recognized as the Tribe’s Unsung Hero Award winner. The 5-8, 150-pounder is a tireless worker and the engine in the middle that anchors the Tribe’s defense and is integral in starting the transition from defense to attack.

Tough Ledger
The Tribe’s 2007 schedule will be a challenging one that includes 11 teams that have advanced to the NCAA Tournament within the last two seasons, including six from a season ago.

The list of teams who have advanced to the NCAA within that last two seasons includes Penn State, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Stony Brook, Dartmouth, Hofstra, Old Dominion, George Mason, Towson and James Madison.

W&M will visit Happy Valley for the first time since its 2002 NCAA Round of 16 match against Penn State. The College will take part in the Penn State Classic, battling host and 2005 Big Ten Champion Penn State along with Ohio State, who has advanced to two of the last three NCAA Tournaments. The W&M ledger also includes matches against Dartmouth, which has won the Ivy League title three out of the last five years, and Stony Brook, which captured the 2005 America East crown.

The College will defend its ODU Stihl Soccer Classic title from a season ago. W&M also is slated to face a pair of ACC powers in North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

Youthful Exuberance
A glance at the Tribe roster will bring about one common theme, youth. The W&M roster features 17 of 25 players, who are underclassmen (freshmen, redshirt freshmen and sophomores). The College returns a pair of sophomore starters from last season in midfielder Price Thomas and back Roger Bothe. The College will also welcome a crop of eight talented freshmen.

Experienced Midfield
The most experienced position on the field for the Tribe in 2007 is the midfield slot. W&M returns all four starters from a season ago at the spot and has three players with extensive playing experience. Senior Doug Ernst, junior Brock Jones and Doug McBride along with sophomore Price Thomas return as starters in the middle of the park for the College.

McBride and Jones have both started 34 matches over the last two seasons, while Ernst is the Tribe’s top returning scorer at 15 points (3g, 9a). His nine assists last season topped the CAA and were the most for the Tribe player since the 2002 seasons. Thomas enjoyed a successful freshman campaign, finished with three points on a goal and an assist.

W&M also has experience depth in the midfield with three regulars from last season in seniors Ryan Sells and Ryan Overdevest and sophomore Jeremy Harris returning. Overdevest started four games, while appearing in 15 in the midfield. He has experience playing both wide and in the middle. Sells started three games last season, including the final two, while appearing in 16. He scored the game-winner against UNC Wilmington and has the versatility to move to the back. Head coach Chris Norris said Harris has the ability to be one of the most dangerous wide players in the CAA and expects him to continue his development from the PDL season with the Virginia Legacy.

Look into My Crystal Ball
Last season, head coach Chris Norris said he expected midfielder Doug Ernst to have a break out season as a junior. Ernst did just as his coach said, ranking third on the Tribe in points and leading the CAA in assists with nine. Norris has once again delved into his crystal ball and has echoed the same sentiments this season for sophomore Price Thomas. Thomas started 17 of 19 games in the midfield last season for W&M and finished with a goal and an assist. He displayed wizardry with the ball and has the flare and creative to be a special player for the Tribe.

International Travels
During the spring of 2007, the Tribe once again made their every four-year International trip, traveling to Greece for the second time. W&M also made the trek to Athens, Greece in 2003. The Tribe has enjoyed some great success on the field during the International trips and 2007 was no different. During the 2007 trip, W&M went 4-1 in five contest, outscoring its opponents, 14-4. The Tribe has been making International trips for training since the 1977 season and visited places such as England, Holland, Bermuda and Jamaica. Along with the competition schedule, the Tribe also has the opportunity to enjoy the historic sites of the location.