WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will open its home conference slate when it hosts Drexel for Senior Day at Martin Family Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Following the contest, W&M will honor its nine seniors –
Grace Ahonen,
Claire Hiscott,
Starr Howard,
Caroline Jordan,
Sophia King,
Belle Martire,
Olivia Naughton,
Lauren Russell and
Sabrina Schrader.
All W&M seniors are invited to a pregame tailgate sponsored by Papa Johns.
Live stats will be available at
TribeAthletics.com, while video of the contest will be streamed on
FloLive.
Complete game day information is available below.
A Look at the Tribe
W&M opened its conference schedule with a 17-12 setback at Elon on Wednesday and currently owns a 4-7 record. The Tribe leads the Colonial Athletic Association in assists per game (5.2), ground balls per game (19.2) and saves per game (11.1), while it ranks second in points per game (17.0), draw controls per game (14.7) and caused turnovers per game (8.5). Individually, senior
Belle Martire ranks second in the league in points per game (4.1) and goals per game (3.0), while she is seventh in assists per game (1.1). Junior
Sarah Cipolla has also come up big and ranks fourth in draw controls per game (4.6), while freshman goalie
Elise Palmer leads the CAA in saves per game (10.8). Sophomore
Caroline Hertzberg has played well defensively and ranks eighth in the conference in caused turnovers per game (1.0).
A Look at the Dragons
Drexel enters Saturday's game with a 6-5 record and defeated Delaware, 20-6, in its CAA opener on Wednesday. Karson leads the team with 38 points (32g, 6), while Corinne Bednarik (20g, 10a) and Colleen Grady (18g, 11a) have also been productive offensively. Harris and Bednarik have each totaled a team-high 44 draw controls. Goalie Zoe Bennett is averaging 9.5 saves per game with a .519 save percentage.
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
Drexel / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
11.7 / 15.9 |
12.1 / 9.5 |
| Shooting % |
.422 / .458 |
.406 / .362 |
| Assists |
58 / 81 |
43 / 46 |
| Ground Balls |
212 / 224 |
194 / 189 |
| Draw Controls |
162 / 179 |
152 / 126 |
| Turnovers |
217 / 172 |
177 / 173 |
| Caused Turnovers |
94 / 116 |
97 / 91 |
W&M-Drexel All-Time Series
W&M leads the all-time series against Drexel, 12-8. Five of the last eight games have been decided by three goals or less, while two of the matchups went into overtime.
Last Time vs. Drexel
W&M was edged by Drexel, 15-13, in its 2019 conference opener at Martin Family Stadium. Although W&M trailed 10-6 early in the second half, it charged back with a 7-1 run to build a two-goal advantage with 10:44 remaining. However, Drexel outscored the Tribe 4-0 during the remainder of the contest to earn the road league victory.
Starr Howard etched her name in the Tribe's record book and became the program's single-season record holder for draw controls (58), as she eclipsed the previous mark of 57 set by Ellen Shaffrey in 2015. Howard finished the contest with a team-high four draw controls to go with three caused turnovers and a ground ball.
Lauren Russell led W&M offensively with a career-high five goals on just seven shots.
Last Time Out
W&M opened its conference slate with a 17-12 setback at Elon on Wednesday evening. Although W&M trailed by just three at halftime, 11-8, Elon utilized a 6-2 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters to build a 17-10 advantage with 1:15 remaining. W&M scored a pair of goals in the final seconds but was unable to get closer than the final margin.
Belle Martire led W&M with four points (3g, 1a), while
Sam Van Gieson and
Margaret Mooney both recorded hat tricks.
CAA Weekly Honors
Five W&M standouts have combined to garner six weekly honors from the CAA this season. Senior
Lauren Russell (Feb. 14) and junior
Sarah Cipolla (Feb. 28) were honored as the league's player of the week, while freshmen
Serena Jacobs (Feb. 14, March 28),
Ainsley Huizenga (Feb. 21) and
Sam Van Gieson (March. 21) were named rookie of the week.
Among W&M's All-Time Best
One of the most productive attackers in school history,
Belle Martire currently among the top 10 in school history in career goals (145) and points (175). She currently ranks third in goals and seventh in points.
Starr Howard also ranks among the Tribe's best in draw controls and ranks eighth all-time with 108.
Captains
W&M is led by a quintet of captains this season –
Belle Martire,
Sabrina Schrader,
Grace Ahonen,
Lauren Russell and
Caroline Donovan. All five captains have distinguished themselves as outstanding leaders both on and off the field throughout their careers.
Up Next
Following Saturday's contest, W&M will return to action when it plays at Delaware on April 9.
