As the summer is quickly coming to a close, William and Mary students across the country and the world are preparing to return to our beloved campus. It also means that the beginning of the fall sports season is approaching at full speed. The fall season is typically the strongest season for Tribe Athletics, and this year looks to be trending in the same direction. We are kicking off our Fall sports previews with the Men’s Soccer program under the direction of 21st-year Head Coach, Chris Norris.
The Green and Gold enter the 2024 campaign looking to right the ship after a 2023 season that left the program at the bottom of the CAA rankings with a 2-8-6 record. The season was not without its fair share of highlights however, including two ties against ACC foes Virginia Tech and North Carolina, the latter of which was ranked #11 in the country at the time. Top scorers Lucas Caldas and Aidan Morrison return after a combined seven goals during the 2023 season. They will both look to lead the team back to the CAA tournament after missing out last year. Caldas finished off the season with a selection to the all-CAA second team along with graduated senior Alfredo Bozalongo who was named to the third team. Aidan Morrison was named to the CAA all-rookie team in his first season with the Green and Gold and will look to continue that success in year two.The top six teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season advance to postseason play. Veteran goalie Cole McNally returns after posting 51 saves in 2023. McNally was also one of five Tribe players to received CSC Academic All-District honors after appearing in every match and maintaining a 3.5 GPA.
The CAA is a historically competitive conference in men’s soccer with the current top program being the Hofstra Pride, who have won three straight CAA titles, and seven overall. The other program with seven overall conference championships? You guessed it, the boys from the ‘Burg, most recently in 2017. Head Coach Chris Norris would certainly love to have his squad return to that level of play. Hofstra, ranked #17 in the preseason poll, comes to town on Saturday, September 7th. The Pride are coming off a third consecutive CAA title as well as a third-round appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Pride are led by All-American and CAA Tournament MVP, Pierce Infuso.
Not shying away from tough opponents, the Green and Gold will face off against three teams currently ranked in the top 20 in the national rankings including a primetime showdown with #6 UNC on October 15th at Martin Family Stadium. The Tar Heels have been in the NCAA Tournament 15 of the last 16 years and have won two national championships. October 15th will be a key indicator of the strength of the Tribe men’s soccer team. Martin Family Stadium is no stranger to hosting tough opponents, as the Tribe took down #10 Wake Forest in 2022. The Tribe scored 16 goals last year to post a 1.0 goal per game average off of 78 shots on goal. Norris’ squadwill need to improve on that mark in 2024, as opponents scored 1.44 goals per game on the Tribe defense in the 2023 campaign.
William and Mary will kick off (pun intended) the season on August 19th with an exhibition matchup against I-64 rival Christopher Newport University at home. Kick off is slated for 7 pm and admission is free. The Tribe will then head up north for a pair of exhibition matchups against Princeton and West Chester on August 24th at the University of Pennsylvania. Regular season play commences on August 28th at Binghamton. Want to see the Tribe in the ‘Burg? The home opener for the Tribe men is set for September 4th at 7 pm. LET’S GO TRIBE!
Photos courtesy of Tribe Athletics
The William & Mary Sports Blog 