The William & Mary field hockey team opened the 2019 pre-season camp late last week, and right off the bat the Tribe threw itself into game action with a scrimmage against the local co-ed team.  Comprised of former collegiate players and enthusiasts, both men and women, from the Richmond and Hampton Roads area, the co-ed team provides a valuable opportunity for W&M to compete against players who are bigger and faster than they are.  The Tribe faced off with the club team on Sunday afternoon on the third day of camp, and came away with a resounding 5-0 victory for its best showing against the club in several years.

Four players scored goals in the scrimmage, led by two from junior Ashley Drum (Virginia Beach, Va.), while junior Caitlin Maclean (Devizes, Wiltshire, England) scored both a goal and an assist.  Senior Cata Days (Buenos Aires, Argentina) scored the opening goal of the contest, and junior Ella Donahue (Midlothian, Va.) added another.  Seniors Christie van de Kamp (Midlothian, Va.) and Cassidy Goodwin (Gloucester, Va.) each tallied assists in the contests, while in goal, senior Morgan Connor (Bedford, N.Y.) and sophomore Kimi Jones (Virginia Beach, Va.) teamed with the defensive line to stifle every attempt from the opposition including several penalty corners.  During regular-season intercollegiate competition, W&M is 126-1-1 (.988) in games in which the Tribe scores at least five goals, winning the last 115 in a row dating back to the 1945 season.

William & Mary has two more weeks of pre-season practice ahead, sandwiched around a trip to face the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday, Aug. 24, in another exhibition scrimmage.  The defending CAA Champions, W&M will open the regular season at home hosting NCAA quarterfinalist Duke on Sunday, Sept. 1, at 1 p.m.  In addition to six freshmen, the Tribe returns 16 players from last year's team, including 75.7% of the team's scoring production (115 of 152 points, including 39 of 54 goals and 37 of 44 assists) and 98.5% of minutes in goal.