WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team earned a convincing 11-4 victory against in-state rival Old Dominion at Martin Family Stadium on Wednesday evening.
 
Although the score was knotted at 3-3 with seven minutes left in the first half, W&M (1-2) limited the Monarchs (2-2) to just one goal during the remainder of the contest.
 
In addition to the dominating performance defensively, the Tribe utilized a balanced attack offensively as seven players combined to score its 11 goals.
 
Tribe Standouts
Belle Martire recorded her third consecutive impressive performance to open the season, as she totaled a game-high five points (3g, 2a) to go with three ground balls.
 
Meredith Hughes (2g), Caroline Donovan (2g), Sarah Cipolla (1g, 1a) and Nikky Priced (1g, 1a) added two points apiece.
 
Sophie Kopec (3 CT, 5 GB), Sydney Sloan (3 CT, 3 GB) and Annalise Lower (2 CT, 4 GB) all came up big defensively, while goalie Elsa Rall tallied 13 saves – eight of which came in the second half – and a .765 save percentage (13-17).
 
Inside the Numbers
En route to limiting ODU to just four goals, W&M outshot the Monarchs, 35-24, and committed four fewer turnovers (17-21).
 
Additionally, W&M dominated ground balls, collecting 11 more than ODU, 32-21.
 
ODU held a narrow edge in draw controls, 10-7.
 
The Opposition
Stephanie Allen (1g, 1a) and Michelle Hallman (2a) led the Monarchs with two points apiece, while Glory Johnson totaled a team-best four draw controls.
 
Goalie Sabrina Leatherwood posted 11 saves.
 
Notes
The four goals allowed by W&M marked the program's best effort defensively since defeating Liberty, 19-2, in 2017 … W&M recorded season highs in shots (35), ground balls (32) and caused turnovers (14) … The Tribe's defense held ODU's leading scorer, Glory Johnson, to no goals on just one shot … Johnson entered the game ranked fourth nationally in goals (15) … Martire has led W&M in goals scored each of the first three games this season and currently has 12 … With her impressive effort in front of the cage, Rall has totaled at least 13 saves in two of the three games this year and increased her career total to 347 … W&M improves to 37-12 all-time versus ODU and has won 10 of the last 13 meetings … Additionally, the Tribe improves to 39-25 all-time against teams currently in the BIG EAST … The victory marked the first-career win as a head coach for Colleen Dawson, who is currently in her first season leading the Tribe.
 
Up Next
W&M will return to action when it plays at Richmond on Saturday at 1 p.m.