continued its historic season with the program’s first win over William & Mary Oct. 14 at Vidas Field.
Drexel sophomore goalkeeper Eve Badana stopped all five shots that came her way en route to the Dragons’ tenth shutout of the season. Sam Greenfield broke through with the game’s first goal in the 71st minute.
Junior Sam Greenfield set up the goal with a feed to the top of the box. A one-timer from sophomore Megan Hammaker from roughly 20 yards out found its way into the top-right corner. It was the first goal of the year for the sophomore, who had been sidelined for six weeks earlier this year with a preseason injury. Head coach Ray Goon was happy for her, and Hammaker was glad the timing came at an opportune time.
“It was a big relief to finally put one in the back of the net for my team,” Hammaker said. “They are a good team, but so are we, and I’m glad I could help us get the W.”
W&M had a good shot at scoring a few times late in the game. Mallory Schaeffer, among the best in the CAA, actually beat Badana on a shot fired late, but Civanni Moss saved the day by stopping it in the post with 13 minutes to play and the lead still secure.
Drexel was coming off a loss to Old Dominion University, so it was a step back in the right direction. Goon was satisfied with the defensive effort put up by the Dragons.
“Coming off of the ODU match, we wanted to make sure that our effort and work rate returned to the standard of our previous CAA matches in which we were successful,” Goon said. “We talked about our mental effort as well as the physical effort necessary to play the way we know we are capable. I felt we were very solid with regard to this against William & Mary.”
It was the first time in program history that Drexel defeated the Tribe, having lost the prior 11 meetings. The Dragons and W&M are now the only CAA teams with 11 wins overall.
Nearing the end of the season, the Dragons have not let the CAA schedule be an obstacle. Drexel is building on a strong chance to win the conference this season.
“I think there are a bunch of reasons why we have been playing well, but mostly it boils down to us playing together and fighting together as a team,” Hammaker said. “We are very focused this year and know our goals and are determined to achieve playoff status.”
They have only two games left in the regular season. Goon and the squad will continue to play complete team games and work on what’s been leading to success.
“We will continue to focus on the same things that we have all season: Play your best, play consistently and play as a team,” he said.
Next up on the schedule for the Dragons is James Madison University. They will visit the Dukes Sunday, Oct. 21, in Harrisonburg, Va. The Dukes have struggled this year but have held their own in conference play, splitting their eight games so far this season. Against a conference rival, Drexel will expect a battle.
“I think it’s coming down to the wire to get points, and it will be a very good battle, but if we play our game I am confident we can come out with yet another win,” Hammaker said.
It’s crunch time in the season for the playoff push and teams will be bringing their best. But if the Dragons take care of business on their end, they should be able to come out with the win.
“JMU will be fighting for playoff contention as well, so it will definitely be a battle,” Goon said. “There are no easy games at this point of the season. If we stay focused on the things we can control, everything will take care of itself.”