WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Feb. 18, 2017)—The William & Mary lacrosse team was edged by George Mason, 9-7, at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
The matchup was closely contested throughout, as Mason (1-0) held a narrow one-goal margin at halftime and never led by more than three goals.
 
W&M (0-2) owned a 12-8 advantage in draw controls, while the Patriots held a slight edge in ground balls (29-26) and committed six fewer turnovers (19-25).
 
Seniors Abby Junior and Lindsey Jenks led the Tribe with two goals apiece, while Junior added a team highs in ground balls (5), draw controls (3) and caused turnovers (3). Freshman Audrey Hoeg also contributed offensively with two points (1g, 1a), while juniors Abby Corkum and Danielle Palmucci both found the back of the cage.
 
In addition to Junior's strong effort defensively, senior Catherine Shaughnessy posted three caused turnovers and three ground balls while classmate Julia McGrath added four ground balls and a caused turnover. Senior goalie Alex Lista also came up big with 11 saves.
 
Both teams traded goals early, as Jenks score on a free position opportunity with 19:37 showing knotted the count at 1-1.
 
Although GMU posted a pair of goals midway through the half, W&M answered with scores by Corkum and Palmucci at 7:49 and 3:00, respectively, to tie the game again.
 
Mason took a narrow one-goal edge to the locker room, 4-3, after Hailey Johnson secured a loose ball in front of the cage and found the back of the net with just 0:06 on the clock.
 
Following the break, GMU rattled off three of the second stanza's first four goals en route to building a 7-4 advantage with 18:57 remaining.
 
Both teams traded scores the rest of the way, as W&M was unable to narrow the margin to less than two during the remainder of the half.
 
Melissa Lobaccaaro led GMU with three goals, while Johnson (2g, 1a) and Brooke Lorber (2g) also posted multiple scores.
 
W&M's loss snapped a six-game winning streak in the series, as Mason's last victory against the College came in 2007.
 
The Tribe will return to action with a pair of road games at Winthrop and Davidson next weekend.