WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary field hockey suffered a 5-0 setback to CAA regular-season champion and No. 20-ranked Drexel on Friday evening at Busch Field.
 
The Dragon's Val Van Hellemont recorded a hat trick to lead the way for the visitors. She scored the game's first two goals in the opening half and added a third just three minutes into the fourth quarter.
 
Van Hellemont scored five minutes into the game on a redirect off a shot from Pien Elsen from a penalty corner. She increased the margin to 2-0 with less than four minutes remaining in the opening half off another redirect in front this time from Pili Lemoine.
 
After a Drexel green card gave W&M a player advantage with two minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Tribe generated its two best chances of the opening 30 minutes. Both opportunities came off penalty corners but senior Kellen Richbourg and junior Emme Schwartz had shots turned away by Dragon goalkeeper Alana Poole to keep the deficit at 2-0.
 
Sophomore Jose Mae Gruendel tried to pull one back for W&M to start the second half. Gruendel's shots in the 33rd minute and 37th were stopped by Poole to keep the margin at two.
 
The Dragons finally extended the cushion to 3-0 with six minutes left in the third quarter. Freshman goalkeeper Emma Cari stopped the initial chance of the sequence, blocking a Natali Foster shot with her pad. The rebound fell to Lemoine who scored into the right side boards.
 
Drexel (12-4, 5-0 CAA) added a goal from Anna Castaldo off a penalty corner with a minute remaining in the third frame, before Van Hellemont completed her hat trick to start the fourth quarter.
 
Cari posted five saves on the night, highlighted by a penalty stroke stop of Castaldo with a diving block to her right. Sophomore Alexandra de Jesus played the final 15 minutes and tallied a pair of saves.
 
Junior Eme Schmittel recorded her first career defensive save in the fourth quarter. It was W&M's eighth as a team this season, which ranks among the top 10 nationally.
 
Drexel outshot the Tribe, 17-5, and held a 9-4 advantage in penalty corners. Four of the Tribe's five shots were on goal with Gruendel and Schwartz leading the way with two each.
 
Scoring Summary
5' | Drexel – Val Van Hellemont (Pien Elsen)
27' | Drexel – Van Hellemont (Pili Lemoine)
40' | Drexel – Lemoine (unassisted)
44' | Drexel – Anna Castaldo (Natali Foster/Stephanie Oleykowski)
48' | Drexel – Van Hellemont (Castaldo)
 
Starters
Drexel - #88 Poole (GK), #3 Van Hellemont, #7 Rawa, #11 Sanabria, #13 Foster, #18 Lemoine, #21 Castaldo, #23 Chipman, #24 Oleykowski, #29 Getty, #99 Elsen
W&M - #30 Cari (GK), #2 Schuma, #4 Brown, #5 Gruendel, #7 Richbourg, #8 Friedman, #15 Schmittel, #16 Stocks, #18 Bartzen, #27 Schwartz, #28 Griffin
 
Up Next
The Tribe wraps up the home portion of its schedule on Sunday with Senior Day against Longwood at noon. Prior to the start of the match, W&M will honor its graduating class of Alyssa Tollaksen, Pyper Friedman, Kellen Richbourg, Sara Bartzen, Olivia Stocks, Maddie George, Mollie Schuma, and Maddie McGaughey. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to celebrate the Tribe's graduating student-athletes.