WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (March 17, 2018)—The William & Mary lacrosse team posted its second-consecutive dominant defensive performance en route to earning an 8-5 victory against Old Dominion at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field on Saturday afternoon.
 
Although the score was knotted at halftime, 3-3, W&M (4-4) held the Monarchs (1-5) to just one goal in the final 28:28 to pull ahead and secure the non-conference triumph. The win improved the Green & Gold's record to 4-0 at home this season.
 
The Tribe also played well defensively in the first half, as it battled back from an early 2-0 deficit by limiting ODU to just one goal during the final 25:16 of the initial stanza.
 
The win marked the second straight game in which W&M has limited the opposition to just five goals, as it defeated VCU, 15-5, on Wednesday. Additionally, the Tribe held ODU to just two goals in the second half after blanking the Rams during the final 30 minutes earlier this week.
 
Offensively, seven different Tribe players combined to score W&M's eight goals.
 
Tribe Standouts
As they did earlier this week, goalies Elsa Rall and Claire Duchene combined to post an outstanding performance in front of the cage. Rall totaled four saves with three goals allowed in the first half, while Duchene came off the bench and allowed just two goals with two saves in the second stanza.
 
Sophie Kopec (2g, 1) and Danielle Palmucci (1g, 2a) led the Tribe offensively with three points apiece, while Eloise Gagnon added two points (1g, 1a).
 
Cameron MacDonald totaled a game-high four draw controls with four ground balls and two caused turnovers, while Maddie Torgerson tallied three draw controls. Lindsey Koch also came up big defensively with two caused turnovers and four ground balls.
 
Inside the Numbers
W&M outshot ODU, 28-18, which included a 17-9 margin in the second half. The Green & Gold also owned advantages in draw controls (10-5) and ground balls (21-17). The Tribe was especially effective on the draw circle in the second half when it secured six of the eight draws.
 
The Tribe's defensive dominance included two long stretches in which it held ODU scoreless – a span of more than 22 minutes in the first half and nearly 27 minutes in the second half.
 
The Opposition
Cydney Tutchton led ODU with three goals, while Katie Miller also scored an added a team-high three draw controls.    
 
Notes
W&M improves to 4-0 at home this season and is allowing just 7.0 goals per game in those wins …  The Tribe is allowing just 5.0 goals per game during the last two contests, which includes just 1.0 goal per game in the second half … Goalie Claire Duchene has allowed just two goals in her last 60 minutes of action … MacDonald's four draw controls and four ground balls were both season highs … The contest marked the fifth of eight contests against teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia on the Tribe's slate this season, as W&M improves to 3-2 in those games.
 
Up Next
The Tribe will look to extend its winning streak to three games when it plays at Richmond next Saturday at 5 p.m.