WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Behind an offensive barrage, highlighted by a first-half hat trick from sophomore Cammie Lloyd, the William and Mary field hockey team rolled to a home-opening 5-3 victory over Ohio on Friday night at Busch Field. Lloyd finished off her trio of goals in remarkable fashion in the 25th minute, scoring the Tribe's first three markers in just 12 minutes and 53 seconds of game time. Sophomore Erin Menges added a goal and two assists, while senior Pippin Saunders chipped in a goal and an assist. W&M upped its season ledger to 2-1, while the Bobcats dropped to 1-2.

The signs of a dominating night from the Tribe offense were prevalent in the opening 10 minutes as it peppered the Ohio cage with six shots, all on goal, and four penalty corners. At the 12-minute mark, the Green and Gold broke through as Lloyd found the back of the cage for the first time in her collegiate career. Menges carried the ball down the right side and crossed it to Lloyd who redirected it in to give W&M a 1-0 cushion.

Lloyd pumped the lead to 2-0 just under five minutes later. Saunders created the opportunity breaking free through the midfield to give W&M the advantage. The senior All-CAA forward found Lloyd in front, and she wrapped a shot around to the left post for her second goal of the evening. It was Saunders' 19th career assist, which ranks fourth in Tribe history.

After Ohio pulled one back in the 24th minute off a penalty corner goal from Kristen Buchanan, Lloyd completed her first-half trifecta with a beauty less than two minutes later. Menges sent a hard pass into the penalty area, where Lloyd got a stick to it popping it around the Bobcat goalkeeper to the left post. She gathered it and finished with a hard shot just inside the left post from a sharp angle, extending the lead to 3-1. It was the first hat trick for W&M since Christine Johnson tallied four goals in the Tribe's season-opening win over Davidson in 2012.

Saunders gave W&M a 4-1 margin before the intermission thanks to her 28th career goal at the 30:55 mark. Off a penalty corner, Ohio's Lina Trucco stopped senior Peyton Smith's initial shot, but the rebound spilled over to Saunders, and she finished into the near-side boards. The goal was Saunders' third of the season and pushed her into ninth on the Tribe's career list. She currently ranked in the top 10 in W&M history in points (eighth with 75), goals (ninth with 28) and assists (fourth with 19). It capped a dominating first half which saw W&M outshoot Ohio, 12-1, and generate six corners to just one for the Bobcats.

Less than 10 minutes into the second half, Menges put the finishing touches on the Tribe victory with her second goal of the year. She penetrated the top of the circle and ripped a shot into the center netting over the Ohio goalkeeper at the 43:51 mark.

W&M held a commanding four-goal advantage until the Bobcats added a pair of late goals in the final 1:18 to shrink the final margin. Emma Eggleston collected a rebound and scored at the 68:42 mark, before the Bobcats picked up a penalty corner in the closing seconds and Elena Curley cashed in a rebound for a goal to cap the night.

W&M outshot Ohio, 17-10, and collected eight penalty corners to the Bobcats' five. Senior Meredith Savage finished with five saves in cage for the Tribe, while Trucco added five for Ohio and Alex Pennington chipped in three over the final 21:48.  

The Green and Gold continues its Labor Day Weekend home slate against the Mid-American Conference when it hosts Central Michigan on Sunday. The match is slated for a noon start. It will be the second straight season the two teams have met after W&M posted a 2-1 win over Chippewas in Ann Arbor, Mich., last season.