The William & Mary field hockey team saw its season come to a close on Friday night in the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals, falling to No. 20 James Madison 2-0 in a tightly-contested match.  The Tribe finishes the year at 9-10 overall, while the Dukes improved to 13-6 and advanced to Sunday's final against No. 9 Delaware.

After the Dukes jumped ahead 1-0 in the 18th minute, the Tribe defense stepped to the fore late in the first half to keep W&M in the match.  On two successive corners, the Tribe defenders were able to break out quickly and gain blocks, and then freshman goalkeeper Morgan Connor (Bedford, N.Y.) followed up with two saves to clear the zone.

Coming out in the second half, W&M got on the attack early and often, out-shooting JMU 7-2 after the break, and earning four penalty corners to just one for the Dukes.  The JMU goalkeeper played a terrific game, however, and was able to keep the Tribe out of goal until the final horn.  Second-team All-CAA honorees Estelle Hughes (Newcastle, NSW) and Booter Ellis (Delmar, Del.) led the Tribe with two shots each.

Despite the loss, the Tribe's 2016 season was one of the best in recent school history.  W&M finished 5-1 in CAA play during the regular season to earn the No. 2 seed in the tournament, both the best finish since 2004.  The Tribe also had seven All-CAA honorees, tying the program record, as well as a best-ever three CAA All-Rookie team winners.  As a team, W&M scored 139 points, fourth-most ever and the best since 2000, and also tied for fifth all-time with 52 goals scored.