WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will open its 2023 slate when it hosts Villanova at Martin Family Stadium on Saturday at noon.
Admission is free and Moto Crepes Food Truck will provide concessions. The first 20 fans in attendance will receive a free food voucher.
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
With 13 returning players who started at least six games last season, including seven of whom started at least 14 contests, W&M enters the 2023 campaign eager to elevate the program to new heights. Sophomore midfielder
Serena Jacobs is the Tribe's top returning scorer (23g, 10a), while senior attacker
Sarah Cipolla (18g, 9a) is also expect to provide offensive production. Preseason All-CAA selection
Caroline Hertzberg will help anchor a talented defensive unit that will also feature the return of last season's starting goalie,
Elise Palmer.
A complete season preview written by Tribe Scribe, Dave Johnson,
is available here.
Scouting Villanova
Led by second-year head coach Jill Batcheller, who served as the lead coach at Drexel during the prior three seasons, Villanova was ranked fifth in the preseason BIG EAST coaches poll after posting a 5-11 record last season. Highlighting the Wildcats roster are a pair of preseason all-conference selections in midfielders Caroline Curnal and Addie Fischer.
| Matchup At A Glance (2022 Stats) |
|
W&M / Opp. |
Villanova / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
10.94 / 16.25 |
10.81 / 12.69 |
| Shooting % |
.390 / .460 |
.418 / .438 |
| Assists |
76 / 123 |
64 / 95 |
| Ground Balls |
322 / 341 |
233 / 279 |
| Draw Controls |
219 / 273 |
231 / 196 |
| Turnovers |
308 / 266 |
259 / 217 |
| Caused Turnovers |
146 / 177 |
106 / 127 |
W&M-Villanova All-Time Series
W&M and Villanova have met just three times before, with the Tribe winning two of those contests, including last year's season opener on the road.
Last Meeting vs. Villanova
W&M opened the 2022 season with a thrilling 14-13 comeback victory at Villanova. After knotting the score at 13-13 on a free position goal with 3:16 remaining,
Serena Jacobs found the back of the cage again when she fired the game-winner with just 2:17 on the clock. It was her third goal of the contest, all of which came in the fourth quarter. Goalie
Elise Palmer helped preserve the victory with multiple saves in the final minutes, as she finished her impressive collegiate debut with 16 stops, which ranks tied for the fifth-best performance in school history. W&M trailed by five at halftime, 8-3, but rallied back with a tremendous third quarter in which it utilized a 5-0 run to knot the count at 10-10 late in the frame.
Lauren Russell was pivotal in the comeback, as she totaled four of her career-high seven goals in the second half.
Versus the BIG EAST
W&M owns a 4-14 all-time record versus teams currently in the BIG EAST. W&M leads the series versus Villanova (2-1), while it is 1-1 against Connecticut and 1-12 versus Georgetown. The Tribe has never played Butler, Denver, Marquette or Xavier.
Season Openers
W&M owns a 36-16-1 all-time record in season openers. Many of those contests have come against outstanding competition, as nine of W&M's last 13 season openers have come against nationally ranked opponents, which includes seven ranked among the top five during the recent span.
Looking for a Strong Start
As W&M opens its season looking for a strong start, it will do so with four of its first five games coming at home. In total, the Tribe will play nine home games this season.
Up Next
Following this weekend's season opener against Villanova, W&M will return to action when it hosts No. 20 Richmond at Martin Family Stadium next Wednesday at 6 p.m.
