HARRISONBURG, Virginia – Junior forward Antonio Bustamante scored three goals in the second half as fifth-seeded William & Mary overcame a one-goal deficit to claim the Colonial Athletic Association men's soccer championship with a 4-1 victory over second-seeded UNCW at James Madison's Sentara Park on Sunday afternoon.
The win, which extended William & Mary's unbeaten streak to 10 consecutive matches, earned the Tribe (11-4-5) its eighth CAA crown and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. UNCW, meanwhile, falls to 11-7-0 after reaching the league final for the second time in program history.
Led by Bustamante, the Tribe bounced back from a 1-0 deficit by scoring four times in the second half. After sophomore midfielder Julian Ngoh tied the game just under nine minutes into the second half, Bustamante scored three goals over a 12-minute span to give William & Mary a 4-1 advantage it did not relinquish.
Junior midfielder
Matt Gianfortone closed the scoring in the final seconds by blasting a 20-yard shot past redshirt senior goalkeeper Phil Breno for the first goal of his college career.
UNCW took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half when redshirt senior forward
Julio Moncada tallied his fifth goal of the season on a long free kick from 25 yards.
William & Mary, which avenged a 2-1 loss against the Seahawks in the regular season, outshot the Seahawks by a 13-8 margin.
Moncada, who scored a goal in both of the Seahawks' CAA Tournament games, was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team along with sophomore forward Phillip Goodrum and freshman forward Emil Elveroth.
Bustamante was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after netting seven goals in William & Mary's three victories.
Up Next: The Seahawks await a possible at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament field when the selections are announced on Monday, Nov. 13, at 1 p.m.
