WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - In the season opener for the Old Dominion men's soccer team (1-0-0), the Monarchs took down William & Mary (0-1-0) by a 1-0 score on Sunday afternoon at Dillard Complex.
The Monarchs scored the game's sole goal off a rebound from a corner kick. The initial attempt came off the foot of Jose Olmos, but W&M's James Bradley was able to get a foot on it to keep it out of the frame. Josh Thacker jumped on the rebound and scored into the left side from eight yards out to give the Monarchs a 1-0 lead.
The goal marked the first of the season for Old Dominion, as well as the first of Thacker's young collegiate career. ODU's Djibril Doumbia made four saves in the opening 45 minutes.
In a scoreless second half, Doumbia kept a clean sheet, making three more saves, giving him a total of seven for the match.
"It was a hard fought battle, but we dug our heels in and found a way to get a big win on the road," said ODU head coach Alan Dawson. "We will have to be better next week against conference rival UAB on the road."
For the match, the Tribe held advantages for shots (15-7) and corners (10-4).
Old Dominion will return to the pitch on Saturday, March 14, when the Monarchs travel to Birmingham, Alabama for a 3 p.m. EST league match against UAB.
The latest edition of Dawson's Week was released earlier this week, as ODU head coach Alan Dawson and Ted Alexander talk all things Old Dominion men's soccer. To watch the newest edition of Dawson's Week, please CLICK HERE.
ODU Wins Season Opener Over William & Mary in Williamsburg, 1-0
