WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Longwood gave Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) preseason favorite William & Mary all it could handle, but 2017 CAA Player of the Year Antonio Bustamante capped a furious Tribe rally with a golden goal from just outside the box to lift William & Mary to a 3-2 overtime win over the Lancers Tuesday night at Martin Family Stadium.
The Lancers led a Tribe team that is coming off a near upset over No. 6 NC State in a 2-1 double overtime loss for more than 80 minutes before William & Mary scored two goals in 1:12 to send the game into overtime. That set the stage for Bustamante, who completed the comeback with a free kick just outside the 18-yard box in the 109th minute.
"The game can be cruel at times and that's something we will have to swallow, as it was a near perfect performance on the road to a quality team," said head coach
Jon Atkinson.
"At 2-0 with minutes to go, you expect to win and that's the biggest disappointment the lads will have to sleep with tonight."
The goal for Bustamante marked the third straight season that he has scored against the Lancers, as the 2017 College Soccer News Second-Team All-American moved into William & Mary's top 10 all-time in goals with the 31st goal of his career.
William & Mary (2-3) outlasted a Longwood (2-3) team that was coming off its own comeback effort Saturday against Robert Morris, trying to win its second straight game.
Sherif Maalouf scored his first goal of the season to hand Longwood an early lead five minutes into the game, before
Josh Hanratty converted his second penalty of the season to double Longwood's lead less than seven minutes until halftime.
"At halftime, we knew the next goal would be key and we had some chances to freeze the game," Atkinson said. "It's a shame as we lost some key battles at the critical time of the match and that turned the tide of the match. Credit to William & Mary, they found a way to win."
In the second 45 minutes, Longwood was able to absorb William & Mary's pressure that saw the Tribe hold a 26-12 shot advantage for the game.
A pair of William & Mary goals from Ryder Bell and Sam Golan separated by 1:12 brought the Tribe even and set the stage for Bustamante's eventual game-winner.
In goal,
Jacob Reimers picked up the start and made three saves in 65 minutes, before
Miguel Bayma came on in the 66th minute and made three saves on six shots on target. Tribe goalkeeper Connor Andrews earned the win with three saves on 12 Longwood shots.
"We certainly can take heart from knowing we still haven't played our best football yet but with each game the momentum is building and the lads look like they're starting to unite," Atkinson said.
The Lancers continue their four-game road stretch Tuesday, Sept. 18 against Virginia Tech. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Blacksburg.
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