Tribe Wraps Up Road Portion of CAA Slate

W&M will travel to Drexel on Nov. 2 and Delaware on Nov. 4.

10/31/07 5:30PM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary men’s soccer team enters the final weeks of the CAA season in the thick of the league race and in position for one of the six bids to the conference tournament. The College, which is currently third in the CAA standings, will travel to Drexel on Friday, Nov. 2, for a 7 p.m. contest, before making the trek to Delaware on Sunday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m. The contests will be the final two regular season road contests for the Tribe. Live stats will be available online for the Delaware match by following the link on the schedule page at TribeAthletics.com or visiting the Delaware Athletics Web Site.

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

Tribe News and Notes
- W&M is currently ranked No. 10 in the NSCAA South Atlantic Region poll. It marks the third time this season the Tribe has been ranked in the NSCAA regional poll.

- The Tribe was No. 79 in the Division I midseason RPI standings released by the NCAA on Oct. 30. W&M is listed third among CAA schools behind Old Dominion (No. 44) and VCU (No. 66).

- W&M has started at least five freshmen in each of its last 14 contests, going 7-4-3 over the stretch. For the first time in school history, the Tribe started six freshmen in its CAA opening wins over Hofstra and Northeastern.

- Senior Ryan Overdevest and junior Doug McBride are the W&M captains for 2007.

- Sophomore Price Thomas had a seven-match point streak from Sept. 22-Oct. 14. Over the stretch, he scored six goals and dished out an assist.

- Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Andrew McAdams made his first collegiate start in the Tribe’s 3-1 win over Temple, finishing with three saves. In games in which McAdams starts, W&M is 7-4-3 with a goals against average of 0.74.

- Seven W&M players have garnered their first collegiate points in 2007. Redshirt freshman Alan Koger scored his first collegiate goal in the Tribe’s victory over Temple, while sophomore Jeremy Harris opened the season with his first marker against Elon and junior Doug McBride scored his first career goal at Stony Brook. Most recently, sophomore Roger Bothe tallied his first career goal on a PK against JMU. Reshirt freshman Andrew McAdams (assist vs. American) and freshmen Nathanial Baako (assist vs. Dartmouth) and Michael DiNuzzo (assist vs. Temple) tallied their first career points on assists this season.

- Underclassmen have scored 14 of W&M’s 18 goals this season and registered 38 of its 55 points. Those numbers equate to 77.8 percent of the Tribe’s goal scoring production and 69.1 percent of its points.

- The Tribe is 16-8-9 all-time at Albert-Daly Field, including a 6-1-1 mark this season.

- Senior Doug Ernst assisted on both W&M goals in the 2-0 win over UNCW. It marked the fourth time in his W&M career in which he has recorded two assists in a game. He has 16 career helpers for W&M.
- Senior Brennan Wergley began the season as the College’s starting goalkeeper, but has appeared in each of the last six games as a reserve forward.

- 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 29 starts this season, assisting on two goals. The Dynamo is currently playing in the MLS Playoffs. Former All-American Adin Brown (1996-99) is the first-team goalkeeper for Aalesunds FK in Norway. Brown has five shutouts in 20 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.

- W&M improved to 30-6-2 all-time in home openers with its win over Elon. The Tribe is a perfect 4-0 under head coach Chris Norris in home openers.

- Juniors Nathan Belcher and Doug McBride were named to the Penn State Classic All-Tournament Team. Redshirt freshman Alan Koger, freshman Nathaniel Baako and junior Brock Jones were named to the ODU Stihl Soccer Classic All-Tournament Team.

-W&M was greeted by a boisterous crowd of 667 when its hosted then-No. 15 Virginia Tech. It was the largest crowd for the Tribe since a crowd of 850 versus North Carolina in 2005.

Scouting Drexel
Drexel had its seven-match winning streak snapped last week as it dropped both its CAA contests over the weekend. The Dragons fell to Hofstra, 1-0, at home and at Northeastern, 2-0. Drexel is currently second in the CAA at 6-2, while holding an overall record of 9-4-2.

The Dragons have been one of the top defenses in the CAA for most of the season and rank among the national leaders. Drexel ranks 33rd nationally in shutout percentage, having blanked seven of their 15 opponents, and 31st nationally in goals against average at 0.76.

Anthony Bafile leads the Dragons in scoring with 14 points on five goals and four assists. Nate Baker is second on the team in points (8) and goals (3) to go along with two assists. Fabio Assumpcao (1g, 3a), Thiago Assumpcao (1g, 3a) and Leland Raum (2g, 1a) each have five points for Drexel.

Cory Robertson has stated 10 games in goal for the Dragons and ranks 12th nationally in goals against average (0.56) and 27th in save percentage (0.833). He has 30 saves on the year to go along with five shutouts.

The Tribe has never lost to the Dragons, owning a 7-0 mark. W&M is 2-0 in Philadelphia. Last season, the Tribe rolled past Drexel, 4-0, in Williamsburg. Price Thomas assisted on the game-winner, while Doug Ernst tallied a pair of assists and Ryan Overdevest scored a goal.

Scouting Delaware
Delaware enters the weekend with a 2-11-2 overall mark and a 2-5-1 league ledger. The Blue Hens are coming off a weekend in which they tied Northeastern, 1-1, and fell in overtime to Hofstra, 2-1. UD’s victories this season have come against James Madison, 1-0, and Georgia State, 2-0.

The Blue Hens have struggled to score goals, ranking among the NCAA’s worst at 0.44 per contest. Delaware has only scored multiple goals in a game on one occasion in 2007 and been shutout nine times.

Demar Stephenson leads the Blue Hens in scoring with five points on two goals and an assist. Paul Danaher is tied with Stephenson for team-high scoring honors with two. Ben Rodkey, Tal Blau and Jon Scheer have also scored this season for UD. Tolu Olowolafe leads Delaware in assists with two. Taylor Thames has started every game in goal for Delaware. He has a goals against average of 1.83 to go along with 73 saves and three shutouts.

W&M leads the all-time series with Delaware at 7-1-1, including a 3-0-1 mark in Newark. Last season, the Blue Hens tallied their first win against the College with a 2-0 victory in Williamsburg.

In the National Rankings
The Tribe defense has proven to be one most stout in the CAA this season, and those numbers have translated nationally as well. The College has shutout eight of its 17 opponents this season, which ranks 29th nationally for shutout percentage.

Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Andrew McAdams ranks among the national leaders in goals against average, saves per game and save percentage. His CAA-leading .847 save percentage ranks 14th nationally, while he is 23rd in saves per game. His goals against average of 0.85 ranks 44th nationally. Sophomore striker Price Thomas also ranks among the national leaders, ranking 90th in goals per game.

Stout Defense
The College has made it difficult for opponents to find the back of the net this season, especially over the last few weeks. W&M head coach Chris Norris said his team set a goal of 10 shutouts prior to the 2007 campaign and the squad is well on its way to achieving that goal. W&M has registered eight shutouts so far this season, including five in CAA play.

The Tribe’s five CAA shutouts are the most ever for a W&M team, equaling the mark set by the 1987, 1998 and 2005 squads. The College leads the league in shutouts overall and in conference play, while ranking second in the CAA in goals against average during league play at 0.60.

As the season has worn on, the Tribe defense has gotten stronger. Over W&M’s last 12 matches, the Tribe has shutout seven opponents and registered a goals against average of 0.62. Over that stretch, W&M is 6-3-3.

The Tribe has registered three straight shutouts heading into this weekend’s matches against Drexel and Delaware. The school record for consecutive shutouts is six established in 1986.

Killer Combo
Heading into the 2007 campaign, W&M head coach Chris Norris was unsure of who would play the forward position for the College and where the goal-scoring production would come from. Consider both those questions answered in the form of the striker duo of sophomore Price Thomas and redshirt freshman Alan Koger.

Neither player started the season opener for the College, and Thomas actually started the season at his normal attacking midfield position. But with W&M struggling to score goals, Norris switched Thomas to forward and started Koger along side him beginning with the ODU Stihl Soccer Classic. The pair have provided W&M with the scoring punch it has needed ever since.

Over the Tribe’s last 14 matches, Thomas and Koger have combined for 29 points on 12 goals and five assists. The pair comprises 66.7 percent of W&M’s goal scoring and 52.7 percent of its point production. They have scored six of the College’s eight game-winning goals this season and ranks first and second in points, goals and shots.

Under rated, but Not Under Appreciated
Junior Doug McBride has been one of the Tribe most consistent players throughout his career. One thing that can always be expected from the 5-9 dynamo is his all out effort in the middle of the pitch. That effort is starting to translate over to the stat sheet as well.

W&M head coach Chris Norris has called his co-captain holding midfielder the most under rated player in the CAA. McBride has an engine that never quits, and he is the calming influence that anchors the Tribe’s defense and is integral in starting the transition from defense to attack.

After registering just one assist in his first two seasons with the Tribe, McBride has four points on a goal and two assists this season. In each of the College’s last two matches, McBride has registered an assist, including the game-winning helper with 1:47 left in the College’s 1-0 win over Georgia State.

Koger Named CAA Rookie of the Week
Redshirt freshman forward Alan Koger was named the Colonial Athletic Association co-Rookie of the Week on Oct. 29 following his pair of goals in Tribe victories over Georgia State and UNC Wilmington. It marks the second time this season that Koger has been honored by the CAA, but the first rookie of the week accolade for the Spencer, Va., native. He was named the CAA Player of the Week on Sept. 17 after earning All-Tournament honors at the ODU Stihl Soccer Classic.

In the Tribe’s 1-0 win over Georgia State, Koger broke a scoreless tie sending a header to the far post with just 1:47 remaining. It was his second game-winning goal of the season. Against UNC Wilmington, Koger added an insurance goal for the College in the 79th minute. The rookie striker ranks second on the team in points (13), goals (5) and assists (3).