WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary field hockey returns to action with a pair of matches over Labor Weekend. The Tribe hosts its second-straight nationally-ranked foe to open the season when it welcomes No. 8 Virginia to Williamsburg on Friday, Sept. 3, at 5 p.m. W&M wraps up the weekend traveling to Patriot League opponent American on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Tribe's contest with Virginia, which is 1-1 after falling to No. 16 Penn State, 3-2 in OT, and upending No. 17 Delaware, 3-1, to open the year, will be streamed on FloLive. W&M's match at American, which split matches with nationally-ranked opponents, including a win over No. 23 VCU, will be broadcast on ESPN+.

All Tribe home matches will be streamed on FloLive. By following this link (flosports.tv/caa), CAA fans can sign up for an annual subscription to FloSports, which remains at a reduced rate of $95.88 per year ($7.99 per month) or a discounted monthly rate of $12.50. Also, anyone who subscribes using a CAA member Institution domain (.edu) e-mail address will be eligible for a $6.99 subscription rate per month. Any subscription provides access to all content that FloSports offers.
 

- In the Tribe's season-opening setback to No. 16 Penn State, the Tribe jumped out to leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first period. Sophomore Mollie Schuma scored her first collegiate goal to give W&M the initial lead of the contest. Junior Lauren Curran fed Schuma for the goal and in the process recorded her first career assist. Junior Tabby Billingham found classmate Lily Saunders for the Green and Gold's second goal and the Tribe led 2-1 over the nationally-ranked Nittany Lions after one period.
 
- The Tribe and UVA meet for the 50th time on Friday. It will be the first of two meetings between W&M and UVA this season as the Tribe travels to Charlottesville on Oct. 20. The Hoos lead the all-time series at 31-16-2 and have been ranked among the top 20 in each of the last seven meetings. Virginia won the last meeting 3-2 in double OT over the Tribe in Williamsburg in 2018. The Tribe's last victory in the series was a 2-1 over No. 5 UVA in Charlottesville in 2013.
 
- W&M and American meet for the first time since 2016. It will also be the fourth-straight contest between the teams in Washington, D.C.  The Eagles won the last meeting 3-0 in Washington, D.C., while the Tribe most recently posted a 2-1 overtime win over No. 18 American in D.C. in 2013.
 
- The Tribe was picked third in the CAA preseason poll by a vote of the league coaches. Last season, the Green and Gold finished second during the spring campaign at 3-1 during the regular season, including a 2-0 win at over No. 20 Delaware. JMU was the preseason favorite followed by Delaware.
 
- Senior Cara Menges, who was an All-CAA First Team pick during the spring, was one of 11 players named to the Preseason CAA Team. She leads all active Tribe players with eight career goals and 10 assists. Juniors Tabby Billingham and Sally Snead, who both earned All-CAA Second Team honors during the spring, were selected to the CAA's preseason honorable mention list.
 
- In total, nine of the Tribe's 16 scheduled matches during the 2021 fall season are against teams ranked in the preseason National Field Hockey Coaches Association Top 25. Seven of the Tribe's 10 nonconference tilts come against top-25 foes, including matchups with No 8 Virginia (Sept. 3 and Oct. 20), No. 10 Liberty (Sept. 19), No. 12 Duke (Sept. 26), No. 16 Penn State (Aug. 29), No. 18 Old Dominion (Oct. 24) and No. 23 VCU (Sept. 10). CAA rivals Delaware (No. 17) and James Madison (No. 24) are both ranked in the top 25.
 
- The Tribe announced its captains and leadership group for the 2021 season. Senior Cara Menges and junior Tabby Billingham were selected as captains. The leadership group joining the Tribe captains includes seniors Jorja Morgan and Kimi Jones and juniors Rachel Gantz and Sally Snead.