Tribe coach Daly joins exclusive club
William & Mary coach John Daly won his 400th career game as the Tribe’s women's soccer team picked up a 2-0 win at UNC Greensboro on Sunday. Juniors Sami Grasso and Rachel Moore scored goals in the first half. With the win, the Tribe improves to 5-2, while the Spartans fall to 3-4-1.
Daly becomes just the sixth NCAA Division I head coach to win 400 career matches, and the 13th NCAA coach to reach that milestone. William & Mary soccer joins only the University of Connecticut to have both a men's and women's coach reach 400 career wins. Former men's soccer coach Al Albert won 401 matches during his 33-year career.
UNC Greensboro controlled the first 20 minutes of play, but couldn't find a goal. The Spartans nearly scored in the 19th minute. Katelyn Mountjoy fired a shot from outside the area that redshirt junior goalkeeper Grace Smith jumped and pushed off of the crossbar.
W&M picked up its pressure for the remainder of the first half starting in the 21st minute. Senior Haley Kavanaugh fired the first shot, but it was deflected off of a Spartan defender. The second shot of the period came from junior Rachel Moore, but her chance was just wide. The final look in the spurt came after a crossing pass from Grasso was headed by Kavanaugh to freshman Sarah Segan. Segan fired to the right side of the goal, but Chloe Buehler saved it.
The Tribe broke through with the first goal of the match in the 27th minute. Sophomore Claire Robbins sent a long ball into the box from the right side of midfield. Classmate Mackenzie Kober brought the ball down and sent a feed to a racing Grasso. The junior collected and scored into the bottom left of the goal. It was her first goal of the season, and gave W&M a 1-0 lead.
Five minutes later, the Tribe extended its lead. Kavanaugh collected the ball in the box and laid a ball back to the middle of the box to Moore. The junior fired her shot off of the left post and into the net. Her fourth goal of the season made it 2-0.
The Tribe finished the match with a 16-7 advantage in shots, which included an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal. Moore finished with a game-high three shots, while Grasso and Segan had two each.
Smith and the Tribe defense recorded its second straight shutout and their fourth of the season. The redshirt junior goalkeeper made three saves in the victory. W&M hasn't allowed a goal in the last 227 minutes of game play, dating back to the Virginia Tech match on Sept. 4.
The university opens a season-long five-match homestand by welcoming High Point on Sept. 15 before hosting Marshall on Sept. 18. Kickoffs are set for 7 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
