The William & Mary field hockey team fell in a narrow contest against Liberty on Sunday afternoon at home, falling by a score of 3-2.  The Tribe moves to 3-5 on the year, while the Flames improved to the same record.

The game started in a hurry for the Tribe, with junior Emma MacLeod (Richmond, Va.) putting W&M on the board in the third minute.  The play started with her classmate, Estelle Hughes (Newcastle, NSW), who gained possesion just inside of the midfield stripe and dribbled down to just outside the dashed line.  Hughes dumped a pass into the middle of the scoring circle from there, trusting her teammates to make something happen, and MacLeod proved that trust well-founded with a tipped one-timer that shot past the keeper and into the cage.  It was MacLeod's first goal of the season.

The scoring continued regularly in the first half, with Liberty scoring in the 11th and 20th minutes to take a 2-1 lead, before the Green and Gold was able to equalize in the 26th.  Senior captain Maria Jose Pastor (Burke, Va.) made a long pass from the edge of the circle to the baseline, finding junior Cammie Lloyd (Midlothian, Va.).  Lloyd spun around her defender and fired a powerful shot around the keeper and into the far side of the goal, scoring her team-leading sixth goal of the season in the process.  The Flames would answer back once more, with the deciding goal 10 minutes into the second half, and despite five more chances from W&M, including a corner and two shots in the final minute, held on for the win.

For the game, the Tribe held an 18-12 advantage in shots, including nine shots alone from Lloyd.  Freshman Morgan Connor (Bedford, N.Y.) made all six of her saves in the second half, including three on Liberty's four penalty corners.

William & Mary continues its homestand next weekend, hosting Towson and No. 12 Delaware to start Colonial Athletic Association play.  The Tribe welcomes the Tigers to town on Friday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m., before facing the Blue Hens on Sunday at 1 p.m.