RICHMOND, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team extended its winning streak to three games with a 17-13 victory at VCU on Sunday afternoon.
 
W&M (5-3) utilized an 8-1 run during the first half to build a seven-goal advantage late in the opening frame.
 
Although VCU (3-4) narrowed the margin to just three, 14-11, midway through the second half, the Tribe responded with three unanswered goals en route to securing its third straight win – all of which have come on the road.
 
Tribe Standouts
Junior Meredith Hughes led W&M offensively with a career-high five goals to go with four draw controls, two ground balls and a caused turnover. Four of her goals came during the pivotal 8-1 run in the first half, while all four of her draw controls came in the opening stanza.
 
A pair of freshmen – Belle Martire (3g, 1a) and Grace Ahonen (3g) – also came up big. Ahonen's scored on all three of her shot attempts, while Martire added team highs in ground balls (4) and caused turnovers (3).
 
After totaling a career-high 20 saves in W&M's win at Davidson earlier in the week, junior goalie Elsa Rall posted another impressive performance and totaled 13 saves with a .500 save percentage. Nine of her stops came during the first half.
 
Freshman Starr Howard totaled a team-high five draw controls to go with three ground balls, a caused turnover and a goal – the first of her career.
 
Inside the Numbers
Although VCU outshot W&M, 36-29, and held advantages in draw controls (18-14) and ground balls (22-21), the Tribe committed six fewer turnovers (18-24) and posted a .586 shooting percentage.
 
The Opposition
Sky Hyatt led VCU with nine points (6g, 3a) and five draw controls, while Keriann McTavish and Jessica Del Rossi totaled three goals apiece.  
 
Notes
W&M's three consecutive road victories marks the program's first such stretch since 1997 … When including road winning streaks interrupted by home games, the Tribe last accomplished the feat in 2004 … W&M's 17 goals match a season high set in the win at ODU … During the Tribe's three-game winning streak, Rall is averaging 13.3 saves per game with a .606 save percentage … Howard moved into a tie for ninth on the Tribe's single-season draw controls list (41) – the school record (57) was set by Ellen Shaffrey in 2015 … Martire has scored at least three goals in five of eight games this season and leads the team with 23 goals … W&M improves to 2-0 all-time against VCU and is 74-23-1 all-time versus teams currently competing in the Atlantic 10 … Sunday's game marked the third of five consecutive road contests for the Tribe.
 
Up Next
W&M will conclude its non-conference slate when it plays at Coastal Carolina next Sunday at noon.