HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The William & Mary lacrosse team opened its Colonial Athletic Association slate with a 14-11 setback at Hofstra on Friday evening.
 
Although W&M (5-5, 0-1) owned an 11-10 lead following a goal by freshman Belle Martire with 13:39 remaining, Hofstra (8-4, 1-0) closed the game with four unanswered goals to secure the conference victory.
 
The Tribe trailed by as many as three goals on multiple occasions in the first half, but it utilized a 5-0 run that spanned both halves to build a 10-8 advantage early in the second frame. However, W&M scored just once during the final 25:02 as Hofstra rallied for the win.
 
Tribe Standouts
Martire and freshman Lauren Russell both scored four goals apiece to lead the Tribe, while classmate Grace Ahonen added three goals. Russell's stat line also include three draw controls and two ground balls, while Martire posted a pair of draw controls and a ground ball.
 
Freshman Starr Howard tallied a team-high five draw controls, which increased her season total to 54 – the second-highest single-season total in school history. She is just three shy of equaling the program's single-season record set by Ellen Shaffrey in 2015.
 
Defensively, senior Holly Hager posted two caused turnovers and three ground balls to go with a draw control.
 
Inside the Numbers
W&M outshot Hofstra, 31-27, and committed two fewer turnovers (10-12), but the Pride owned narrow advantages in ground balls (14-11) and draw controls (14-13).
 
The Opposition
Alyssa Parella led Hofstra with six points (5g, 1a), while Alexa Mattera also came up big with five points (4g, 1a).
 
Darcie Smith totaled a game-high eight draw controls, while goalie Jess Smith contributed 12 saves.
 
Notes
All 11 of W&M's goals were scored by freshmen … The game marked W&M's fifth consecutive road game … The loss was just the third on the road for the Tribe this season, as it entered the game with a 4-2 mark away from Williamsburg … The Tribe's last three losses have all come by three goals or less.
 
Up Next
W&M will play its first home game in more than a month when it hosts Drexel at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field on Sunday at 1 p.m.