WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will return to action when it hosts Liberty for Senior Day at Busch Turf this Saturday at 2 p.m.
At the conclusion of the contest, W&M will honor its senior class:
Devon Fleischmann,
Audrey Hoeg,
Sophie Kopec,
Anne Milwicz and
Elsa Rall.
Live video and live stats will be available at TribeAthletics.com.
A Look at the Tribe
W&M enters Saturday's contest with a 2-2 record and is coming off a 22-16 victory against Longwood in its last outing. The Tribe's other victory came versus Old Dominion, while both its setbacks were against nationally ranked opponents (Duke, Richmond).
As a team, W&M currently ranks ninth nationally in draw controls per game (16.0) and eighth in shooting percentage (.513). Additionally, the Tribe ranks second in the Colonial Athletic Association in goals per game (15.0) and points per game (20.25).
Individually,
Belle Martire, who was honored as the CAA Player of the Week on Monday following her seven-point effort in W&M's win at Longwood, currently ranks fourth in the conference in goals per game (3.75) and points per game (4.75). Additionally, she ranks third in the country in free position goals per game (3.0).
Defensively, goalie
Elsa Rall ranks second in the CAA in saves per game (9.0), while
Courtney Vasquenza is fourth in caused turnovers per game (1.75). Additionally,
Sabrina Schrader ranks fourth in draw controls per game (4.0), while
Sarah Cipolla is sixth in ground balls per game (2.5).
Scouting Liberty
Liberty enters Saturday's game with a 3-3 record and is coming off back-to-back wins against Radford and Old Dominion. The Lancers lead the nation with 17.6 caused turnovers per game and rank second in the country with 27.0 ground balls per game.
Leah Ruby leads the team with 13 points (9g, 4a), while Mackenzie Lehmand and Sarah Steenson both rank among the nation's top 20 with 2.4 caused turnovers per game.
Goalie Jennifer Soriero leads the Atlantic Sun with a .447 save percentage and ranks fourth in the country with 5.2 ground balls per game.
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
LU / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
15.0 / 16.25 |
11.17 / 10.0 |
| Shooting % |
.513 / .504 |
.362 / .400 |
| Assists |
21 / 25 |
23 / 38 |
| Ground Balls |
70 / 69 |
162 / 134 |
| Draw Controls |
64 / 68 |
77 / 62 |
| Turnovers |
63 / 51 |
134 / 158 |
| Caused Turnovers |
30 / 30 |
102 / 75 |
W&M-Liberty All-Time Series
W&M leads the all-time series against Liberty, 2-1, and won the only other previous meeting in Williamsburg, 19-2, in 2017.
Last Meeting vs. Liberty
W&M concluded its non-conference road slate with an 11-7 setback at Liberty on March 28, 2018. Although W&M owned a 4-3 advantage at halftime, the Flames opened the second half with an 8-1 run. While the Tribe held LU scoreless during the final 8:33, it was unable to overcome the six-goal deficit.
Elsa Rall recorded 14 saves, a .560 save percentage and six ground balls.
Versus the Big South
W&M owns a 3-2 all-time record versus teams currently in the Atlantic Sun Conference. W&M controls the all-time series against Liberty (2-1) and Stetson (1-0), while it lost its only meeting with Jacksonville.
Last Time Out
Playing on the road for the third time in its first four games, the William & Mary lacrosse team cruised to 22-16 victory at Longwood last Sunday. Led by
Belle Martire's game-high seven points (5g, 2a), the Tribe utilized a balanced attack, as 11 different players found the back of the cage. Although W&M trailed 8-7 with less than seven minutes remaining in the opening half, it scored six of the next seven goals to close the stanza. The Tribe utilized a 5-1 run to start the second half to build an 18-10 advantage and maintained at least a seven-goal cushion during the remainder of the contest. W&M's 22 goals marked the program's highest single-game total since 2015 when it defeated Gardner-Webb, 22-3
Belle Martire Honored as CAA Player of the Week
After posting a tremendous performance in W&M's 22-16 win at Longwood,
Belle Martire was honored as the CAA Player of the Week. Martire led W&M with a game-high seven points (5g, 2a), a career-high eight draw controls and three ground balls. Additionally, she recorded a .625 shooting percentage and converted on her only free position attempt.
Record-Setting Performance
Belle Martire equaled her own single-game school record with 10 points and nearly matched her own single-game record with eight goals in the Tribe's 19-11 victory at Old Dominion earlier this season.
Among W&M's All-Time Best
Goalie
Elsa Rall currently ranks fifth on the Tribe's all-time saves list with 422 career stops. She needs 26 more to move into a tie for fourth with Vikki Bovoso (1980-82), who finished her career with 448 stops.
Starr Howard also ranks among the Tribe's best in draw controls and ranks eight all-time with 96. She needs 13 more to move into a tie for seventh with Morgan Lang (2003-06), who finished her career with 109 DC.
Captains
W&M is led by a quintet of senior captains this season –
Elsa Rall,
Audrey Hoeg,
Sophie Kopec,
Anne Milwicz and
Devon Fleischmann. All five captains have distinguished themselves as outstanding leaders both on and off the field throughout their careers.
Up Next
Following this weekend's game against Liberty, W&M will return to action when it hosts Campbell next Saturday at 7 p.m.
