The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
William & Mary
Women's Soccer Falls to William & Mary at Tennessee Lady Vol Classic
August 26 | Women's Soccer
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Three first half goals by the No. 37 William & Mary women's soccer team propelled the Tribe to a 4-0 win over Akron Sunday afternoon at Regal Soccer Stadium at the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic.
The Zips fall to 2-1-0 with the loss, while William & Mary, a 2011 NCAA Tournament participant, moves to 1-2-0. The Tribe is ranked eighth in this week's NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region poll and No. 37 nationally in the latest Top Drawer Soccer Tournament 64 rankings.
"It was an unfortunate result," said Akron interim head coach Vernon Croft. "William & Mary is certainly a team that is deserving of their ranking. They have been an NCAA Tournament team for the past few years and they showed why today. We can't expect to give up goals that quickly and come back. With that said, this was a great learning experience for us. As we told the team, it's better that this happened early in the season and that we learn from it. I think our mentality will stay the same – that we'll continue to grow and mature."
William & Mary came out of the gate with chances in the first few minutes as Dani Rutter forced a save from UA freshman goalkeeper Klaire Adee in the fourth minute and Mallory Schaffer hit the crossbar in the sixth.
Akron's first shot came at 12:33 when junior midfielder Kelly DeNiro sent one wide. The Tribe scored the game's opener at 14:39 when Cortlyn Bristol headed home a cross from Kiersten Harpe.
At 20:27, Bristol found Schaffer, who made the W&M lead 2-0 when she scored on a header of her own. In the 30th minute, the Zips caught a tough break when Bristol's shot deflected off an Akron defender and went it to the net to make the score 3-0 heading into halftime.
In the second half, redshirt freshman Lexa Green fired Akron's first shot on goal in the 69th minute and forced a save from William & Mary goalkeeper Carla Manger. Senior midfielder Katie Wise also placed a shot on frame in the 79th.
W&M would round out the scoring at 82:22 when Audrey Barry headed in a corner kick from Erin Liberatore. Senior forward Ashley Hughes and junior defender Amber Kern also had attempts on goal for the Zips in the final seven minutes, while Kern also hit the bar on another effort.
Akron forced William & Mary into five saves in the second half on their seven shots.
The Zips will be back in action next Sunday, Sept. 2 at Big Ten foe Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. Kickoff is set for 12 noon.
