The William & Mary field hockey team overcame an early deficit at home on a chilly Friday night to beat Drexel 2-1 in overtime to get Homecoming Weekend off to a strong start.  The Tribe improves to 8-5 and a perfect 4-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association, while the Dragons fall to 7-8 (0-3 CAA).  With the win, W&M clinches a spot in the CAA Tournament for the third year in a row, and a conference-best 30th time overall.

How it Happened
- Despite two W&M penalty corners in the first 10 minutes, Drexel was able to get on the board first thanks to their only penalty corner of the game in the 14th minute.
- After drawing the corner, junior Tess Bernheimer inserted the ball and loitered at the near post, where Puk Thewessen found her for Bernheimer's CAA-leading 10th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
- Both teams had their chances in the opening period, with W&M holding a 5-4 shot advantage, but that's how the horn sounded.
- The Tribe turned up the pressure in the second half, and finally broke through in the 45th to tie the game.  Out of a scrum in front of the Drexel cage, freshman Cara Menges (Richmond, Va.) was able to control the ball and shoot across the goal to the far side where sophomore Melanie Strik (Den Haag, The Netherlands) waited to tip the ball in and tie the match.
- W&M kept pressing the issue, but the Dragon defense and goalkeeper Erin Gilchrist played well to keep the game tied and headed to extra time.  In the second half, Drexel made seven saves on 11 Tribe shots, including a defensive save by Amy Ferguson.
- While Drexel had a couple threatening runs early in the overtime period, the Tribe's field players were able to keep the Dragons out of the circle and slowly build into an attack.
- In the 74th minute, senior Estelle Hughes (Newcastle, NSW, Australia) flicked the ball ahead to junior Annie Snead (Midlothian, Va.), who beat the onrushing keeper and took a shot back across to try and end the game there.  A Drexel defender put her body in front of the shot, and after initially calling for a W&M corner, the referees conferred and instead awarded a penalty stroke.
- Junior captain Christie van de Kamp (Midlothian, Va.) stepped up to the spot to take the stroke, and was able to beat Gilchrist for the goal and the game.

Starters
W&M - Kimi Jones, Caroline Arrowood, Annie Snead, Christie van de Kamp, Estelle Hughes, Caitlin Maclean, Cara Menges, Woodard Hooper, Cassidy Goodwin, Jorja Morgan, Haley Hopkins
Drexel - Erin Gilchrist, Tess Horan, Amy Ferguson, Delaney Baxendale, Katie Pappas, Puk Thewessen, Tess Bernheimer, Megan Wiest, Emily Owens, Avery Powell, Chandler McFeeley

Notes
Including the seven years of the South Atlantic Field Hockey League (184-90), which was taken over wholesale by the CAA, the Tribe will now appear in its 30th conference tournament ... That's tied with James Madison (the only other surviving team to play in the CAA every year) for the most in conference history ... W&M's 4-0 start in conference play is tied with the 2004 team for best ever ... W&M has played in five OT games this season, the fourth-most ever in a single season and the most since the 2008 team played in six ... The 2002 team also played six overtime games, while the 1983 team played in seven ... The Tribe's three overtime wins is tied for the second-most all-time, alongside the 2008 and 1989 teams ... The 1990 team won a record four overtime contests ... van de Kamp's penalty stroke attempt was the first for W&M since 9/9/17, and the first make since 10/30/16 ... Senior Caroline Arrowood (Chesapeake, Va.) earned her first start of the year ... Freshman goalkeeper Kimi Jones (Virginia Beach, Va.) made two saves, one in each half, while improving to 6-1 to start her career ... Strik's goal was the second of the season for her.

Up Next
The CAA's two remaining unbeaten teams collide on Sunday, as W&M hosts No. 18 Delaware (3-0 in league play) at noon.  The Blue Hens have won 21 in a row against conference opponents dating back to 2015.