No. 25 William & Mary women power past Old Dominion 3-0

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Via College of William & Mary) – Three different players scored as the No. 25 William & Mary women’s soccer team dropped rival Old Dominion 3-0 on Friday night at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. Sophomore Sami Grasso and seniors Leci Irvin and Samantha Cordum netted goals for the Green and Gold. The Tribe improved to 5-1-1 on the season with the victory, while the Monarchs dropped to 1-5-0.

The Tribe wasted little time to establish its possession and found the match’s first goal in the 12th minute. Off of a corner kick by senior Nicole Baxter, Grasso was able to direct the ball into the back of the net with her back heel. The sophomore’s third marker of the season lifted W&M to an early 1-0 lead.

Just five minutes later, the Green and Gold doubled its margin. This time Grasso started the play when she fed a through ball to Cordum. Cordum charged the left side of the box and dished off to Irvin. Irvin was able to put the ball into the back of the empty net, giving the Tribe a 2-0 lead.

W&M controlled the first half possession and outshot the Monarchs 9-1 in the half, which included a 3-0 advantage in shots on-goal. The Tribe also held a 5-0 margin in corner kicks.

After Old Dominion started to build some attack, the Tribe put the icing on the victory with a marker in the 60th minute. A little give-and-go with Cordum and senior Katie Johnston at the top of the box led to Cordum gaining space. The senior knew what do and scored into the lower right corner. The Boise, Idaho native’s team-high fourth goal of the season pushed the score to 3-0.

The Monarchs didn’t fold after the third goal, and mounted some strong attacks into the final moments of the match. Right after the third goal, Melanie Oakes put the Monarchs first shot on frame, but senior goalkeeper Caroline Casey turned it away.

ODU had two strong looks, but the Tribe defense sniffed both of them out. The first came off of a corner kick, when Cristina Bashara turned a header on net off of a corner. The shot was cleared off the goalline by sophomore defender Haley Kent, and the Tribe was credited with a team save. The other chance came in the 90th minute when, Oakes fired from distance, but Casey had to make a leaping save.

The Tribe finished the night with a 15-11 advantage in shots, including a 7-6 advantage in shots on goal. Irvin led the Tribe with four shots, while Grasso took three shots during the match.

Casey earned her third shutout of the season behind five saves. She also continued her climb up the W&M record book. She now sits just two shutouts from the top five in school history. With her five saves, Casey is now third all-time in W&M history. The senior is 41 saves shy of second place all-time.

The Tribe concludes its two-match home stand on Sunday, Sept. 13 when they welcome Ivy League foe Harvard. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.