Live video of the contest, which will include audio commentary by Kyle Rae, will be available at TribeAthletics.com. Live stats will also be available at TribeAthletics.com.

Scouting the Tribe
A new era of Tribe lacrosse will officially begin on Sunday, as first-year head coach Hillary Fratzke will lead the Green and Gold onto the field for the first time. This season's edition of the Tribe will feature nine returning players with significant starting experience and will be led by a quartet of talented captains – Maggie Bermingham, Hannah Clarke, Colleen Nofi and Ellen Shaffrey. In addition to the returning talent, which includes four of the team's top five scorers from last season, W&M's roster will be bolstered by an outstanding nine-member freshman class. W&M's 16-game slate will include 10 home games and four contests against teams currently ranked in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaching Association (IWLCA) poll.

Scouting the Blue Devils
Ranked fifth nationally, Duke will enter Sunday's contest having already played two games this season, as the Blue Devils, which advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals last spring, opened the 2014 campaign with wins against Elon (25-4) and Louisville (14-11) last weekend. Kerrin Maurer currently leads the team with 16 points (11g, 5a), while Kelci Smesko and Sydney Peterson have totaled seven points apiece. All-American Taylor Virden has also come up big and leads the team in draw controls (eight), ground balls (six) and caused turnovers (three).

News and Notes

W&M-Duke All-Time Series
W&M and Duke have met in all but one season dating back to 1996, as the Blue Devils control the all-time series, 14-3. The Tribe claimed the first three meetings, but Duke currently owns a 14-game winning streak in series.

Last Meeting
After earning a season-opening victory against American, W&M fell in its road opener at No. 7 Duke, 15-8, last spring. The Tribe trailed by just three goals midway through the second half, but the Blue Devils recorded the contest's final four scores to earn their fourth consecutive victory. Taelor Salmon led W&M with four points (3g, 1a), while Kyrstin Mackrides totaled three goals and Kaleigh Noon provided three assists and three draw controls. Defensively, goalie Colleen Nofi recorded a career-high 19 saves, while Brett Hayes posted three caused turnovers.  

Last Meeting in Williamsburg
In the last meeting in Williamsburg, W&M fell to fifth-ranked Duke, 18-9, in its 2012 season opener at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. Playing in cold and rainy conditions, the matchup was tightly contested early before the Blue Devils pulled away with a 12-2 run that covered the end of the first half and the beginning of the second. Maggie Anderson led the Tribe with four points (3g, 1a), while Taelor Salmon and Katie Stillwell both tallied a pair of goals apiece.

Versus the Atlantic Coast Conference
W&M owns a 35-69 all-time record versus teams currently in the Atlantic Coast Conference. W&M controls the all-time series against Boston College (1-0), North Carolina (3-1) and Virginia Tech (5-1), while it has losing records against Duke (3-14), Maryland (6-23) and Virginia (17-30-1).

Season Openers
W&M owns a 34-9-1 all-time record in season openers. This year's contest will mark the third time in the last four seasons that W&M has opened its campaign against a Duke squad ranked among the nation's top 10. W&M is 2-2 in its last four season openers, as it defeated American last season and No. 16 Ohio State in 2010.

Home Openers
The Tribe has won its home opener in nine of the last 10 seasons. Although fifth-ranked Duke snapped W&M's eight-game winning streak in home lidlifters in 2012, the Tribe bounced back with a victory against American last spring. W&M is 27-7 in home openers since 1980.

Defeating a Ranked Team
When W&M takes on No. 5 Duke on Sunday, it will be looking for its first win against a nationally ranked team since the 2010 season opener when it defeated No. 16 OSU in Williamsburg.

New Era of Tribe Lacrosse
First-year head coach Hillary Fratzke will usher in a new era of Tribe lacrosse this spring, as she becomes the eighth head coach in W&M's 44-year varsity history. A proven winner as both a coach and player, Fratzke assumed the head coaching duties this summer after spending the past three seasons at Northwestern where she helped the Wildcats win two NCAA titles and post a 61-7 overall record. The former three-time All-American is also very familiar with the CAA, as she was honored as the league's player of the year twice during her standout playing career at Towson en route to helping the Tigers advance to the NCAA Tournament three times.

Preseason Honor
Senior midfielder Taelor Salmon was recently selected to the Preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association Team. Having established herself as one of the league's top players during the past few seasons, Salmon has totaled 80 points (64g, 16a) during the last two years. As a junior last spring, the Fort Washington, Md., native ranked second on the team in points (38), seventh in the CAA in points per game (2.2) and posted a .504 shooting percentage. The former CAA Rookie of the Year also recorded an outstanding sophomore campaign in 2012 when she led the Tribe with 42 points (31g, 11a) and ranked ninth in the league in points per game (2.47).

Preseason Poll
In addition to releasing preseason all-conference honors, the CAA announced its preseason predicted order of finish as selected by the league's six head coaches. W&M was chosen to finish sixth. Towson was picked to finish first and was followed by James Madison, Hofstra, Delaware, Drexel and W&M.

Returning Production
Led by midfielder Taelor Salmon and attacker Kaleigh Noon, the Tribe returns four of its top five scorers from last season. Salmon ranked second on the team with 38 points (33g, 5a) last spring while Noon recorded 32 points (13g, 19a). Attacker Ellen Shaffrey was also a key contributor and totaled 31 points (22g, 9a).

Challenging Schedule
As is the case every season, the Tribe will once again challenge itself against some of the nation's top teams this spring. The 16-game slate features four games against teams that competed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament, including a pair of opponents that advanced to the national quarterfinals – Maryland and Duke. Four of the Tribe's opponents were nationally ranked in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaching Association (IWLCA) preseason poll.

Looking for a Home Field Advantage
In addition to hosting the 2014 CAA Championship on May 2 and 4, the College's regular-season slate includes 10 home games, which equals the most in program history. The Tribe will host six of its first seven games at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field this spring. Additionally, W&M will close out the regular season slate with three consecutive home contests.

Tough to Beat at Home
Since the start of the 2008 season, W&M has been tough to beat at home and owns a 31-21 record in Williamsburg.

Tradition of Success
W&M will look to build upon a tradition of success this spring, as it will aim for its fifth double-digit win campaign in the past seven seasons.

Captains
W&M will be led by a quartet of captains this season – Maggie Bermingham, Hannah Clarke, Colleen Nofi and Ellen Shaffrey. All four players are outstanding leaders and have made significant contributions on and off the field throughout their careers.