The William and Mary field hockey team stretched its legs with a road trip down south on Friday, and then ran past Appalachian State for an 8-4 road win.  The Tribe improved its record to 2-7 overall, while the Mountaineers fell to 2-8 on the year.

Box Score

Three goals in the first half might not be considered "tame" in most circumstances, but Friday it was merely prelude to a nine-goal explosion after the intermission.  Appalachian State took the early lead with a corner late in the seventh minute, but freshman Erin Menges (Richmond, Va.) responded in the 11th with her first collegiate goal after putting back the rebound off a save.  In the 23rd minute, junior Pippin Saunders (Mittagong, NSW) found the back of the boards with another rebounded slapshot, a tally that would prove to be the game-winner as the Mountaineers were never able to regain the lead.

After the break, seniors Navneet Singh (Auckland, N.Z.) and Lindsey Buckheit (East Greenwich, R.I.) wasted no time, connecting on a goal just 24 seconds into the half to put W&M in front 3-1.  Off a corner, Buckheit deflected Singh's shot off a defender and into the boards for her second goal of the season.  ASU got one back in the 39th minute with a goal in the normal run of play, but just over a minute later senior captain Emma Clifton (Loomberah, NSW) stole a pass at the top of the circle and backhanded a rocket past the keeper to restore the two-goal margin, 4-2.

That goal opened the floodgates, leading to four more Tribe tallies unanswered.  In the 44th minute, senior Brittany Hopkins (Springfield, Va.) found net for the first time with a shot to the corner 90, thanks to a pass from Menges.  Buckheit returned the favor to the rookie at the start of the 47th minute, passing to Menges on a fast-break for her second goal of the game.  In the 51st minute, the Tribe's Australian connection made a run, with Clifton passing to Saunders for the score, and in the 63rd minute, things finally wound down with sophomore Mary Flick's (Moorestown, N.J.) first career goal, off a pass from senior Kayleigh Ross (McLean, Va.).  The Mountaineers would get two goals late, locking the final score at 8-4 for the Green and Gold.

The match made history on a number of levels for the Tribe.  Clifton's assist in the 51st minute was the 20th of her career, raising the senior into a tie for second all-time at W&M.  She is one of just three players to ever score 20 assists in a career, and is now just one behind the school record.  As a team, W&M's 21 total points is tied for the second-most in a single game ever, matching the scoring against Ursinus in 1994 (7g, 9a), and behind only the 23 scored against Lehigh in 1990 (9g, 5a).  The team's eight goals is tied for third all-time, and the most since scoring eight against James Madison back in 2003.  Finally, the five assists is tied for fourth in school history, and the most since the Tribe also had five helpers against Radford last fall.

William and Mary's road trip continues Sunday, with the Tribe taking on Davidson at 1 p.m.