WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Feb. 20, 2018)—The William & Mary lacrosse team posted a dominating first-half performance en route to earning a 15-9 victory against in-state foe Longwood in its home opener at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field on Tuesday afternoon.
 
Although Longwood (1-2) jumped out to a 3-1 advantage 10 minutes into the contest, W&M (1-1) charged back by scoring 11 of the next 12 goals, including the final seven of the opening stanza, to build a comfortable 12-4 lead at halftime.
 
The Tribe maintained control during the remainder of the contest, as the Lancers were unable to get any closer than the final margin.
 
Led by a tremendous effort by Maddie Torgerson, who totaled a career-high five points (4g, 1a), seven draw controls and two caused turnovers, the Green & Gold utilized a balanced attack offensively (nine different players scored) and dominated draws (20-6).  
 
Tribe Standouts
In addition to Torgerson, Eloise Gagnon (2g, 2a), Abby Corkum (2g, 1a) and Sophie Kopec (2g) registered multi-goal efforts. Gagnon's impressive stat line also included three ground balls and two caused turnovers.
 
Also contributing to the Tribe's lopsided advantage on the draw circle was Annelise Kotz, who finished the afternoon with seven draw controls to go with a pair of assists.
 
Torgerson and Kotz's seven draw controls rank tied for the sixth-best single-game efforts in school history.
 
Inside the Numbers
W&M outshot Longwood, 37-19, and boasted a 23-10 margin in the first half. The Tribe also totaled more ground balls (26-20) and committed fewer turnovers (17-19).  
 
In addition to holding Longwood to just one goal in the final 21:16 of the first half, the Tribe also limited LU to just one goal during the final 14:58 of the second frame.
 
The Opposition
Carleigh Kondas led the Lancers with three goals, while Kaitlin Luccarelli (2g) and Riley Dolan (1g, 3a) also contributed offensively. Molly Barkman earned all six of LU's draw controls, while Olivia Zubillaga added five ground balls and four caused turnovers.  
 
Notes
W&M improves to 17-2 in the all-time series and is now 23-3 all-time versus teams currently competing in the Big South … The Tribe improves to 29-10 in home openers and has won 11 of its last 15 … W&M is allowing just 4.0 goals per game during the second halves of contests this season.
 
Up Next
W&M will return to action when it hosts Davidson at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field on Sunday at 2 p.m.