The William and Mary field hockey team clinched a spot in the CAA Tournament for the third-straight year on Friday, topping Hofstra 5-3 on the road to claim the bid. The Tribe improved to 7-10 overall and 4-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association, while the Pride fell to 12-6 and 3-2 in league play.
Box ScoreW&M and Hofstra were playing for the second year in a row in a de facto play-in game, and for the second year in a row, the Pride struck first. After Hofstra scored just 90 seconds in, however, the Tribe went on a tear with five unanswered before the home team was able to tack on a pair of corner goals in the final five minutes. First up for W&M was the Australian connection between senior
Emma Clifton (Loomberah, NSW) and
Pippin Saunders (Mittagong, NSW). In the ninth minute, Clifton's pass to Saunders found a home in the back boards, and tied the score 1-1. It was Saunders' team-leading and career-best ninth goal of the year, while Clifton also set a lifetime-best with her seventh assist of the season.
W&M took a lead it would never give up early in the 15th minute. This time, it was sophomore
Maria Pastor (Burke, Va.) finding freshman
Emma MacLeod (Richmond, Va.) with the pass to score. MacLeod now has five goals on the year, most among CAA freshmen, and Pastor made her second assist of the season. Just over two minutes later, sophomore
Mary Flick (Moorestown, N.J.) made her third assist of the season, linking up with freshman
Booter Ellis (Laurel, Del.) to beat the Hofstra keeper and lift the score to 3-1. It was Ellis' first collegiate goal.
The Tribe had one more goal to give before the whistle blew for half-time, and it came from senior
Brittany Hopkins (Springfield, Va.). Hopkins drove and juked through the Pride defense, and unleashed a rocket from the top of the circle that bore into the boards. It was her second goal of the season. After the intermission, W&M's final goal came in the 49th minute. Clifton's hard shot was deflected off a Hofstra player, and fell to Pastor who whipped it into the net for the score. Clifton now has eight assists, just three away from the single-season record, and Pastor made her fourth goal of the year.
On defense, junior goalkeeper
Meredith Savage (Virginia Beach, Va.) made one save in recording her seventh win of the year, and senior captain
Jesse Ebner (Sinking Spring, Pa.) made a defensive save as well to preserve the win. For the game, the Tribe had a 20-8 advantage in shots, and made 10 shots on goal to just five for Hofstra. With the win, W&M has assured itself of no worse than the number-three seed in the CAA Tournament. The Tribe also stayed alive in the race for the regular-season title, and will host the league championships with a win on Sunday and a Drexel win over Delaware that same day.
William and Mary's final regular season game will come on Sunday at 1 p.m., with the Tribe playing at No. 18 Northeastern.
