Tribe Plays to Scoreless Draw with George Mason

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Andrew McAdams recorded his fifth shutout of the season with five saves against the Patriots.

10/21/07 6:00PM

Fairfax, Va. - The William and Mary men’s soccer team played to a scoreless draw on the road at George Mason on Sunday afternoon. In a statistically even match, the Tribe garnered its third tie of the year, playing its fourth overtime game in the last five contests. W&M’s mark moved to 6-6-3 overall and 3-2-1 in the CAA, while George Mason pushed its record to 5-6-2 on the year and 2-3-1 in the league.

George Mason had the better of the statistics in the opening half of play, outshooting the Tribe, 9-4, including a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal. The Tribe had more corner kick chances in the opening 45 minutes, 4-3. McAdams kept the Patriots off the board making a trio of saves in the first stanza.

The Tribe stepped up the pressure offensively in the second half and the overtime periods, holding a 12-10 advantage in the shots department and a 7-2 lead in shots on goal. W&M also had an 8-3 cushion in corner kicks for the game.

After the first attempt of the game for George Mason was stopped by redshirt freshman goalkeeper Andrew McAdams, junior back Brock Jones had a pair of headers go high of the goal in a nine-minute stretch. The first chance came off a corner kick in the third minute, while the second occurred in the 12th minute of play.

The Tribe came out on the offensive in the opening minutes of the second half. Freshman Nathaniel Baako saw his attempt parried away by GMU goalkeeper Sean Kelley just over a minute into the second half. Sophomore midfielder Jeremy Harris jumped on the rebound, but his chance was blocked by the Mason defense.

The College continued its pressure on the Patriot goal. Senior Ryan Overdevest had his second attempt on goal of the contest stopped by GMU goalkeeper Sean Kelley in the 59th minute. Junior midfielder Doug McBride and senior Doug Ernst each had a pair of chance during the final 30 minutes of the second half. McBride had attempts stopped by Kelley in the 66th and 71st minutes, while Kelley denied Ernst in the 77th and 82nd minutes.

W&M’s best scoring chance of the first overtime period came in the closing seconds of the frame. Off a corner kick, senior Brennan Wergley had his header attempt sailed high of the frame. Wergley, who began the season at the Tribe’s starting goalkeeper, has appeared in each of the last four games as a reserve forward.

George Mason held a 2-1 advantage in shots in the second overtime period, but the Tribe had the best of the scoring chances. Sophomore forward Price Thomas’ attempt on frame in the 104th minute was blocked by Kelley, but resulted in a Tribe corner kick. W&M did not threaten the GMU goal on the chance. It looked as though the Tribe had tallied the victory with two minutes remaining in the second extra session as Baako found the back of the net past a diving Kelley, but the W&M midfielder was whistled for offsides negating the score.

It marks the second straight season in which the Tribe and Patriots have played to a scoreless draw. McAdams finished with five saves in net for his fifth shutout of the season. W&M has blanked five of their last 10 opponents on the year.

The Tribe will return to action with the pair of matches, Oct. 26-28. W&M will travel to Georgia State for a Friday, Oct. 26, affair at 3 p.m. The College will host UNC Wilmington at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 28.

Box Score