WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will continue its conference slate with a pair of games this weekend, as it hosts Delaware on Friday (5 p.m.) before traveling to Towson on Sunday (noon).
Friday's game against Delaware will be broadcast by
Lax Sports Network (LSN) and is available for free
here. Additionally,
live stats for the contest will be available at
TribeAthletics.com.
A
video broadcast and
live stats for Sunday's game at Towson will be available at TowsonTigers.com.
The first 200 fans to Friday's game against Delaware will receive free Twizzlers in honor of National Licorice Day.
A Look at the Tribe
After opening its conference slate with a pair of narrow setbacks last weekend, W&M currently owns a 5-6 record overall and a 0-2 mark in conference play. The Tribe leads the Colonial Athletic Association in ground balls per game (19.27), while it ranks third in draw controls (12.64), caused turnovers (10.27) and shooting percentage (.420). Individually, junior goalie
Elsa Rall continues to lead the league in ground balls per game (3.27), while freshman
Belle Martire ranks third in goals per game (2.82). Additionally, freshman
Starr Howard ranks fourth in draw controls per game (5.27) and broke the program's single-season record for draw controls last weekend.
Scouting Delaware
Although Delaware enters Friday's game having won three of its last four games, it dropped its conference opener to then-No. 10 James Madison last weekend and owns a 6-6 record overall and a 0-1 mark in CAA play. While the Blue Hens rank sixth in the league in goals per game (10.33), they are second in assists (5.67), ground balls (18.67) and caused turnovers (10.83). Christine Long ranks second in the CAA in goals per game (3.08), while Mia DeRuggiero ranks second in points per game (4.08).
Scouting Towson
Towson enters the weekend with a 2-9 overall record and a 0-1 mark in conference play after losing at then-No. 10 James Madison, 11-7, last weekend. The Tigers have played a challenging slate, as nine of its opponents have been nationally ranked. TU leads the CAA and ranks fifth nationally with 12.73 caused turnovers per game, while Sami Chenoweth leads the nation with 4.09 caused turnovers per game. Natalie Sulmonte leads the Tigers with 33 points (28g, 5a) and has totaled a team-high 34 draw controls.
| Matchups At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
Delaware / Opp. |
Towson / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
11.0 / 11.82 |
10.33 / 10.0 |
10.6 / 12.6 |
| Shooting % |
.420 / .432 |
.384 / .449 |
.384 / .387 |
| Assists |
27 / 56 |
68 / 68 |
37 / 70 |
| Ground Balls |
212 / 220 |
224 / 217 |
178 / 186 |
| Draw Controls |
139 / 133 |
144 / 123 |
120 / 133 |
| Turnovers |
197 / 192 |
223 / 236 |
207 / 201 |
| Caused Turnovers |
113 / 118 |
130 / 111 |
135 / 116 |
W&M-Delaware All-Time Series
Delaware owns a 13-11 edge in the all-time series and has won the last seven meetings.
Last Meeting vs. Delaware
W&M suffered a 14-6 setback at Delaware on April 22, 2018. Although W&M held UD scoreless for the final 21:11, it was unable to overcome an 11-goal deficit.
Abby Corkum led the Tribe with three points (2g, 1a), while
Meredith Hughes added a team-high four draw controls and
Hannah Ryan posted five caused turnovers and five ground balls.
W&M-Towson All-Time Series
Towson holds a 16-8 advantage in the all-time series with W&M. Although the Tribe won the first four contests versus the Tigers, TU has claimed the last 10 matchups.
Last Meeting vs. Towson
W&M fell to No. 8 Towson, 17-5, on Senior Day at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field on April 15, 2018. Although the score was knotted at 1-1 nearly 10 minutes into the contest, TU closed the opening half with a 10-1 run. While W&M recorded the opening goal of the second half, Towson outscored the Tribe 6-2 during the remainder of the game to secure the conference victory. Cameron McDonald highlighted the Tribe's individual performances with a career-high nine draw controls – an impressive figure that ranks tied for the second-best performance in school history.
Delaware/Towson Connections
Two of W&M's three coaches have connections with Towson and Delaware, as head coach
Hillary Fratzke played at TU (2006-10) while assistant
Corrine Drost played at Delaware (2008-11).
Last Time Out
W&M was edged by Drexel, 15-13, in its Colonial Athletic Association home opener last Sunday afternoon at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field. Although W&M trailed 10-6 early in the second half, it charged back with a 7-1 run to build a two-goal advantage with 10:44 remaining. However, Drexel outscored the Tribe 4-0 during the remainder of the contest to earn the road league victory.
Winning Draws
Freshman
Starr Howard etched her name in the Tribe's record book last week against Drexel, as she became the program's single-season record holder for draw controls (58) in just 11 games. She eclipsed the previous mark of 57 set by Ellen Shaffrey in 2015. Her best efforts came against Virginia and at Coastal Carolina when she totaled eight – an impressive figure that ranks tied for fourth in school history and is just two shy of the program's single-game record.
Immediate Impact
W&M's freshman class has made an immediate in multiple ways this season. Three of the team's top four scorers –
Belle Martire (31g, 4a),
Lauren Russell (23g) and
Grace Ahonen (14g) – are freshman, as is
Starr Howard, who broke the program's single-season record for draw controls (58) and ranks second on the team in caused turnovers (14).
Impressive Stretch
Freshman
Lauren Russell has posted hat tricks in each of the last three games. After scoring three goals at Coastal Carolina, she opened CAA play with four goals at Hofstra and five goals versus Drexel.
Rall in the W&M Record Book
With her career-high 20-save effort in W&M's win at Davidson, which ranks as the second-best performance in school history, goalie
Elsa Rall has posted two of the program's top-four single-game save totals in school history. Last season, she posted 18 saves at Richmond, which ranks fourth.
Ryan in the Top 10
With 50 career caused turnovers, senior
Hannah Ryan currently ranks tied for 10th on the program's all-time list.
Rall, Martire Earn CAA Lax Weekly Honors
After posting tremendous performances in W&M's pair of road victories at Davidson and VCU, junior goalie
Elsa Rall and freshman midfielder
Belle Martire were selected as the league's Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Rall finished the week with 33 saves and a .611 save percentage to go with a team-high 12 ground balls. Her best performance came in the 9-8 triumph at previously unbeaten Davidson where she set a single-game school record with 10 ground balls, while also totaling a career-high 20 saves – an impressive figure that ranks as the second-best single-game performance in school history and is just three shy of the program's record. Her outstanding effort also included a .714 save percentage. Martire was honored as the CAA's top rookie for the second consecutive week after another impressive set of efforts, as she totaled a team-high seven points (6g, 1a) with four ground balls, three caused turnovers and two draw controls. In the win at Davidson, Martire scored goals on all three of her shot attempts, which was highlighted by her game-winner with just 0:18 remaining.
Martire Honored as CAA Rookie of the Week
After posting outstanding efforts in W&M's contests against Richmond and Longwood, freshman standout
Belle Martire was selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week on March 11. Martire finished the week with a team-high eight points (7g, 1) to go with five draw controls, two caused turnovers and two ground balls. Additionally, she posted a .538 shooting percentage. Martire's best performance came in the Tribe's 13-5 victory at Longwood when she totaled a career-high seven points (6g, 1a), as her six goals tied for the seventh-best single-game effort in school history. The Houston, Texas native also provided two ground balls, a draw control and a caused turnover in the win.
McElgunn Honored as CAA Defensive Player of the Week
Senior
Anne McElgunn was selected as the CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 19 after a tremendous performance in the season-opening win versus George Mason. En route to helping W&M limit the Patriots to just six goals – including just one in the second half – McElgunn posted career highs with six caused turnovers and six ground balls. The impressive effort helped the Tribe force Mason into 30 turnovers, 23 of which were caused turnovers. W&M's defensive unit was dominant during large stretches of the contest, as it held Mason scoreless for the opening 16:03 of the first half and for the final 18:39 of the contest.
Next Up
Following this weekend's games against Delaware and Towson, W&M will continue its conference slate when it plays at No. 11 James Madison next Sunday.
