WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Pierce Gallaway scored with just over 10 minutes left in the opening half and the Monarchs made it stand as Old Dominion recorded a 1-0 win over William & Mary in front of 820 fans at Martin Family Stadium.
The win for ODU (2-0-3) is the second straight shutout for the Monarchs as Michael Statham made six saves on the night to preserve the clean sheet.
"I thought we played really well in the first half and controlled the game," said ODU Head Coach Alan Dawson. "We didn't create enough chances, not enough shots on goal, but found a way to get one on the corner kick. In the second half, they came at us and we were very resilient. We put up a real good fight and kept another clean sheet for two in a row on the road is huge."
ODU forced a corner kick at 35:20 as Nathan Lam served the ball to the back post where Gallaway headed it in for the 1-0 advantage. The Monarchs kept locking the Tribe down on defense and held that lead going into halftime.
In the second half, William & Mary (1-4-1) had several opportunities with its most potent coming with just over 20 minutes left as Diogo Branco blasted one from just inside the penalty box and Statham made a sprawling save to keep the shutout alive.
The Tribe controlled the shots in the second half outshooting ODU 12-2, but Statham made four of his six saves in the final 45 minutes for the Monarchs victory.
ODU now heads to Atlanta, Georgia for its opening Sun Belt Conference match taking on Georgia State on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
First Half Goal Stands As Men's Soccer Tops Tribe 1-0
Pierce Gallaway