NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion men’s soccer team put up a goal in each half and rode a strong defensive effort as they blanked William & Mary 2-0 on Tuesday night in a non-conference matchup.
“Really pleased with the overall performance tonight on both sides of the ball. To get a clean sheet, get two goals and create multiple chances to score more was fantastic. Some really good individual performances, but more pleased with the team performance we gave. Now we can turn our attention to Sunday with a talented George Mason team coming to town,” said ODU Head Coach Tennant McVea.
ODU (3-2-1) is now 6-0-1 in its last seven meetings with William & Mary (2-3) and is the first multi-goal effort for the Monarchs against the Tribe since a 3-2 overtime win in 2018.
Old Dominion started the game establishing pressure early which resulted in a goal just over six minutes into the contest. William Arnesen forced a turnover deep in the attacking end and found Michael Eberle with a feed who then found the back of the net for a 1-0 ODU advantage at the 6:15 mark.
ODU peppered W&M goalie Ryan Eapen with 12 shots in the first half forcing him to make seven saves. The Monarchs had a few more chances but were stonewalled as they went into halftime still holding a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, the teams turned more into a defensive effort as the Monarchs finally cracked the board again with just under five minutes left. Lewis Redding had a throw-in from deep in the attacking end and found Key White who sent a touch pass into Arnesen as he ripped one into the net for the 2-0 lead at 85:25.
On the night, ODU outshot W&M 18-6 and held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks. Michael Statham made three saves on the night for ODU in recording his second clean sheet of the season.
The Monarchs conclude non-conference play on Sunday night hosting George Mason at 6 p.m.