Box Score FINAL: VCU 2, William & Mary 1 (Williamsburg, Va.)
VCU STARTERS: #89 Carden (GK), #8 Conrad, #9 Granados, #12 Edgcomb, #15 Moore, #16 Hutchinson, #20 Acosta, #23 Hovanesian, #32 Boyer, #33 Johansen, and #35 Gogolin
WILLIAM & MARY STARTERS: #1 Casey (GK), #2 Fredrickson, #4 Heck, #5 Baxter, #6 Liberatore, #9 Shaughnessy, #10 Camper, #12 Schaffer, #17 Bristol, #25 Harpe, and #30 Irvin
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- William & Mary (6-3-0) wasted little time getting on the attack as Emory Camper fired a pair of shots in the second minute. The first attempt was blocked and the second was saved by VCU senior goalkeeper Kristin Carden.
- The Tribe continued to pressure and got on the board five minutes later. Cortlyn Bristol sent a ball into the box and Nicole Baxter was able to slip shot past Carden for an early 1-0 lead.
- VCU (4-2-3) fired three shots during a six-minute stretch beginning in the 23rd minute, but was unable to find the net.
- The Rams eventually knotted the game in 33rd minute when junior Brianne Moore found classmate Courtney Conrad in the box. Conrad then took the feed and launched a shot past William & Mary goalkeeper Caroline Casey to make it 1-1.
- The Tribe had a chance to regain the lead on a penalty kick in the 39th minute but Carden stood strong and made the stop on a Mallory Schaffer shot.
- William & Mary opened the second half just as it did the first with a pair of shots in the first three minutes.
- In the 62nd minute, the Rams fired back-to-back shots on goal (Conrad and junior Taryn Cressy) but Casey was there for the stops.
- Finally, in the 80th minute Conrad struck again when she scored the game-winner off a corner kick. Sophomore Cristin Granados sent the corner into the box but Bex Kunz's shot was blocked. However, Conrad was there to fire back the rebound and gave the Rams a 2-1 lead.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- With the victory, VCU is unbeaten in its last five matches. The Rams, who also snapped William & Mary's six-game win streak, became the first opposing team to score a goal against the Tribe since Aug. 24. William & Mary had outscored the opposition 14-0 during that stretch.
- Conrad's two goals extend her season total to four. It was the first multi-goal game for any Ram this season.
- Moore and Kunz both collected their first assist of the season, while Granados added her second.
- The Black & Gold was outshot for only the second time this season as the Tribe held a slight 18-16 advantage in shots. However, the Rams held an 8-6 margin in shots on goal.
- Carden faced 18 shots and made six saves.
QUOTABLE:
"Everybody really wanted this one badly. The players have been waiting for their chance to play William & Mary again after the loss in the conference championship last season. We had some big time performances tonight and I think we continued to get better as the game progressed. William & Mary is a very good team and are off to a great start this season. I couldn't be prouder of how we responded to going down early and were able to come out on top."
-VCU Co-Head Coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak
WHAT'S AHEAD:
The Rams continue their season long four-match road trip on Sunday when they travel to Old Dominion for a 1 p.m. kickoff against the Lady Monarchs.
