The William & Mary field hockey team kept its remarkable win streak intact on Sunday afternoon, scoring in the final two minutes of regulation against Northeastern to send the game to overtime, and scored again in the second overtime for the second game in a row for another 2-1 win. The Tribe, now winners of eight in a row, improved to 11-5 overall and clinched a top-two seed in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament with a 4-0 record in conference play. The Huskies fell to 9-6 on the year, and still in the tournament hunt at 2-2 in CAA play.
How it Happened
- With two very good teams going at it, chances were hard to come by in the first half. Senior
Woodard Hooper (Williamsburg, Va.) had the first shot of the game in the third minute, and Northeastern had a penalty corner and shot blocked away by the Tribe defense in the eighth, but that was it in the first quarter as play flowed between the two circles.
- The second quarter had a few more chances, four for the Tribe (including two corners) and two for the Huskies, but again neither team was able to crack the defense being put forth. For Northeastern, Julia Gluyas was just getting started on an outstanding 17-save afternoon, while for W&M, senior
Morgan Connor (Bedford, N.Y.) made the only save needed of her on the day.
- Northeastern caught a break right at the end of the half, as a W&M player was whistled for a green card with just 30 seconds left. That penalty carried over into the start of the second half, and the Huskies took advantage of the extra player to drive into the circle from the opening whistle, and earned a corner just 40 seconds into the third quarter. Northeastern freshman sensation Lauren Rowe got the call and the goal, shooting to the near side for her conference-best 14th goal of the year and the 1-0 lead.
- W&M was unfazed by the sudden change in fortune, and like it has in every game on the current win streak, the Tribe kept working the field and holding position as it looked for the tying goal. The Green and Gold took nine shots in the third quarter, including three penalty corners, peppering Northeastern looking for the equalizer, but Gluyas made seven more saves to bring her total to 11 in the first 45 minutes.
- The fourth quarter developed in much the same way, with Northeastern taking its only shot early, which sophomore
Kimi Jones (Virginia Beach, Va.) kicked away for her second save, and then it was all Tribe from there.
- W&M took seven shots in the fourth quarter and another two penalty corners, and finally got the equalizer at the end of the 58th minute. Junior
Haley Hopkins (Springfield, Va.) was driving in the circle, and she was interfered with by Gluyas, earning a penalty stroke from the referee. Senior captain
Christie van de Kamp (Midlothian, Va.) stepped to the spot and powered her stroke into the back of the boards, her seventh goal of the season and nation's-best fifth penalty stroke goal.
- Heading to overtime for the third game in a row, the Tribe kept up the pressure in the 7-v-7 portion of the game. Northeastern again had the first shot, sending it wide right, but didn't get another chance the rest of the way. On the other end, senior
Cassidy Goodwin (Gloucester, Va.) nearly ended it at the turn of the 65th minute, but Huskies defender Sam Bodo made a spectacular play on the line to clear it away and pick up a defensive save. W&M totaled seven more shots in the first overtime, but was unable to score and the horn blew for the second overtime.
- The Tribe was the team coming out hot in the second overtime, driving in for four shots in the first two minutes. Sophomore captain
Cara Menges (Richmond, Va.) had the first attempt kicked away, before Hooper and back-to-back shots saved and then go just wide.
- Finally, at the end of the 72nd minute, junior
Caitlin Maclean (Devizes, Wiltshire, England) and Hooper found themselves on a 2-v-1 breakaway. Maclean drove, and as the defender moved to block her, flipped a pass ahead to Hooper who only had to take one step to beat the goalkeeper and shoot inside the near post for the goal and the win. It was her sixth goal of the season, and third game-winner.
Starters
W&M -
Morgan Connor,
Haley Hopkins,
Annie Snead,
Ella Donahue,
Tabby Billingham,
Cata Days,
Christie van de Kamp,
Cara Menges,
Woodard Hooper,
Cassidy Goodwin,
Jorja Morgan
NU - Julia Gluyas, Lexie Dunleavy, Melanie Weber, Alli Meehan, Megan Barrett, Sam Bodo, Camille O'Conor, Lauren Brewster, Kasidy Anderson, Lauren Rowe, Maliea Kelso
Notes
Hooper now has 29 career goals, 12th-most in school history ... She moved into fourth-place all-time at W&M with her 12th career game-winning goal ... Van de Kamp's goal was her fifth penalty stroke goal of the season, more than any other team has attempted this season ... It was also her sixth career penalty stroke goal, second-most in school history and just one shy of the school record ... With other results around the CAA, W&M has clinched a spot in the conference tournament for the fourth year in a row, and CAA-best 31 times overall ... W&M will be seeded either first or second at the CAA Championships in Newark, Del., Nov. 8-10 ... The Tribe started conference play 4-0 for the second year in a row, and the third time overall (also in 2004) ... W&M has won seven CAA games in a row dating back to last season, matching the 2002 and 2004 teams for the second-longest conference winning streak in school history ... The school record is eight, set back in 1989 ... W&M's eight-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest active streak in the NCAA (North Carolina 39, Princeton 8) ... The eight wins in a row is the longest in school history since the 2002 team won nine in a row ... It's tied for the fifth-longest winning streak ever at W&M, and the seventh-longest unbeaten streak in program history ... Before the game, the Tribe recognized its six-member senior class, including Connor, Goodwin, van de Kamp, Hooper,
Annie Snead (Midlothian, Va.), and
Cata Days (Buenos Aires, Argentina) ... The seniors have led W&M to a 45-30 record over the last four years, the most wins for a class since 2006 ... They are just the 19th out of 92 four-year classes to win 45 or more games.
Up Next
William & Mary hits the record next weekend to close out the regular season with a pair of crucial CAA tilts. The Tribe and No. 12-ranked Delaware (12-3, 4-0) will meet on Friday night, Nov. 1, at 6 p.m. in Newark, Del., with the regular-season title on the line. The winner of that contest will clinch at least a share of the CAA regular season title and the No. 1-seed in the conference tournament. On Sunday, W&M will face Towson (3-14, 0-4) in the regular season finale in Maryland at 1 p.m.
