WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will open its conference slate when it hosts No. 25 Elon at Busch Turf on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The contest will be broadcast by
Lax Sports Network (LSN), while
live stats will be available at TribeAthletics.com.
Admission is
not available to the general public.
A Look at the Tribe
W&M enters Saturday's contest with a 3-4 record and is coming off an 11-10 setback to Radford in its last outing. The Tribe currently ranks second nationally in shooting percentage (.531), fifth in free position shooting percentage (.614), 15th in draw controls per game (15.57) and 21st in goals per game (14.57) and caused turnovers per game (9.57).
Individually,
Belle Martire leads the team in goals (29) and points (38), as she ranks second nationally in free position goals per game (2.14), third in free position shooting percentage (.938), sixth in shooting percentage (.674), 12th in points per game (5.43) and 13th in goals per game (4.14). Additionally, she ranks third in the Colonial Athletic Association in draw controls per game (4.71).
Defensively, goalie
Elsa Rall ranks third in the CAA in saves (49), while
Courtney Vasquenza ranks third in caused turnovers per game (1.57).
Scouting Elon
Ranked 25th nationally, Elon currently owns a 6-0 record overall and a 1-0 mark in conference play. The Phoenix's league win came against James Madison.
As a team, Elon ranks second in the country in scoring defense and is allowing just 6.0 goals per game. Additionally, it ranks eighth in scoring margin (7.17) and 18th in draw control percentage (.574).
Individually, goalie Paulina DiFatta ranks second nationally with a goals against average of 5.65 and 12th in save percentage (.508). Margaret Stephan leads the team with 18 goals, while Mae McGlynn has totaled a team-high 26 points and 14 assists.
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
Elon / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
14.6 / 15.4 |
13.2 / 6.0 |
| Shooting % |
.531 / .489 |
.457 / .353 |
| Assists |
36 / 45 |
38 / 17 |
| Ground Balls |
131 / 133 |
106 / 76 |
| Draw Controls |
109 / 112 |
70 / 52 |
| Turnovers |
126 / 106 |
72 / 103 |
| Caused Turnovers |
67 / 69 |
52 / 40 |
W&M-Elon All-Time Series
W&M and Elon have played just four times, as the Phoenix owns a 3-1 edge in the all-time series. Three of the four matchups were decided by three goals or less.
Last Meeting vs. Elon
W&M was edged by Elon, 12-9, on Senior Night at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field on April 26, 2019. Although W&M held Elon to just one goal during the final 20:31 and utilized a 5-1 run to narrow a seven-goal deficit to just three with 4:30 remaining, it was unable to complete its comeback bid. Things looked good for the Tribe early as it raced out to a 3-1 advantage less than seven minutes into the contest. However, the Phoenix responded with a pivotal 10-1 run to build an 11-4 advantage with 20:32 remaining in the second half.
Last Time Out
W&M team was edged by Radford, 11-10, in overtime at Busch Turf last Saturday. Radford's Ashlyn Grogan scored the game-winner 1:38 into the extra session. After a 45-minute weather delay midway through the second half, the Tribe (3-4) rallied back from a three-goal deficit to knot the score at 9-9 following a free position goal by
Sabrina Schrader. Schrader knotted the score again at 10-10 when she found the back of the cage with 2:08 remaining to send the game to overtime. Schrader led the Tribe with a career-high five goals, coming on just five shots, and two caused turnovers.
Martire Honored as CAA Player of the Week Twice
W&M standout
Belle Martire has been selected as the CAA Player of the Week twice this season. She garnered her first accolade of the year following a seven-point, eight-draw control effort in the win against Longwood. Martire was honored a second time after recording eight points (7g, 1a) with eight draw controls, two caused turnovers and two ground balls in the victory against Campbell.
Martire Eclipses 100-Goal Mark
Belle Martire became the 21st player in school history to reach the 100-goal mark with her hat trick against Radford. She currently has 102 career goals.
Impressive Stretch
After totaling five draw controls through the first three games,
Belle Martire has posted 29 in the last four contests.
Among W&M's All-Time Best
Goalie
Elsa Rall currently ranks fifth on the Tribe's all-time saves list with 435 career stops. She needs 13 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 eighth all-time with 100. She needs nine more to move into a tie for seventh with Morgan Lang (2003-06), who finished her career with 109 DC.
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.
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 Elon, W&M will return to action when it plays at No. 15 Towson next Saturday at 6 p.m. The contest will not count as a conference game due to the league's modified schedule this season.
