WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will return to action when it hosts VCU at Martin Family Stadium on Saturday at noon.
The contest will be W&M's alumni appreciation game and youth day.
Admission is free. William & Mary Athletics, in conjunction with the William & Mary Police Department, has implemented a
clear
bag policy that regulates the size and type of
bag that may be carried into W&M Athletics facilities, including Busch Field, Kaplan Arena, Martin Family Stadium, Plumeri Park, and Zable Stadium. Information as well as approved and prohibited items is available at
TribeAthletics.com.
Live stats will be available at
TribeAthletics.com.
Complete game day information is available below.
A Look at the Tribe
W&M enters Saturday's game with a 1-3 overall record and will look to snap a three-game skid after opening its season with a win at Coastal Carolina and suffering setbacks to George Washington, Georgetown and UMBC.
Kate Draddy (9g, 2a) and
Anna Dawson (9g, 2a) lead the Tribe with 11 points apiece, while Draddy has also totaled a team-high 20 draw controls. Additionally, Draddy leads the CAA and ranks 12th nationally in shooting percentage (.692), while her 5.0 draw controls per game ranks fourth in the CAA. Defensively, goalie
Marin Wilhelm ranks third in the conference in saves per game (9.0) and tied for first in ground balls per contest (3.0).
Scouting VCU
VCU currently owns a 2-3 record but has won two of its last three contests, coming against Longwood (15-3) and ODU (14-6). Ashley Karn leads the Rams with 15 points (3g, 12), while Rachel Koeneke (7g, 6a) and Mil George (11g, 1a) have also come up big offensively. Sarah Jones has totaled a team-high 19 draw controls, while Casey Murray has recorded 18 draw controls, 17 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
VCU / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
9.7 / 14.2 |
10.0 / 11.2 |
| Shooting % |
.375 / .452 |
.410 / .427 |
| Assists |
18 / 33 |
31 / 28 |
| Ground Balls |
54 / 63 |
83 / 89 |
| Draw Controls |
46 / 63 |
66 / 60 |
| Turnovers |
48 / 47 |
109 / 101 |
| Caused Turnovers |
24 / 33 |
58 / 68 |
W&M-VCU All-Time Series
Saturday's game will mark just the fifth meeting between W&M and VCU, as the Tribe won the first two matchups in 2018 and 2019 before falling the last two seasons. The Tribe earned a 15-5 victory in Williamsburg in 2018, while it posted a 17-13 triumph at VCU in 2019. VCU won, 18-8, in Williamsburg in 2023 and by a 15-8 margin in Richmodn last season.
Last Meeting vs. VCU
Playing in pouring rain and windy conditions for nearly the entire contest, W&M fell at VCU, 15-8, last season. Although VCU scored the game's first six goals, the Tribe (2-3) answered with back-to-back scores by
Jaylin Locke and
Paige Gilbert to trail by just four at halftime. However, the Rams opened the second half on a 4-1 run to build a 10-3 advantage and maintained at least a six-goal margin during the remainder of the contest en route to securing the non-conference victory. Gilbert led the Tribe and equaled a career high with three goals to go with a career-best six draw controls. The Doylestown, Pa., native also recorded two ground balls and a caused turnover. Goalie
Marin Wilhelm played the final 45:00 and posted nine saves with a .500 save percentage.
Last Time Out
W&M fell to UMBC, 17-10, on Wednesday afternoon in a neutral site matchup in Alexandria, Va. UMBC opened the contest with a 5-0 run and maintained at least a four-goal lead during the remainder of the game en route to securing the non-conference victory and improved to 5-0. Although W&M outscored the Retrievers during the second and third quarters, 6-5, UMBC closed the game with a 5-2 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Anna Dawson led the Tribe with a career-high five points (3g, 2a), while
Kate Draddy (2g, 1a) and
Ainsley Huizenga (2g, 1a) added three points apiece. Draddy also totaled a career-best six ground balls.
Draddy, Wilhelm Earn CAA Honors
After posting tremendous performances in W&M's impressive season-opening win at Coastal Carolina,
Kate Draddy and
Marin Wilhelm earned player of the week honors by the CAA. Draddy was selected as the co-offensive player of the week, while Wilhelm was chosen as the defensive player of the week. Draddy posted a tremendous all-around performance in the triumph, scoring three goals on just four shots with a game-high six draw controls, a caused turnover and a ground ball. Her final goal, coming with 6:36 remaining in the four quarter, provided the Tribe with the decisive score to secure the road victory against the ASUN Conference preseason favorites. Wilhelm earned the league's top defensive weekly honor after totaling 13 saves and a .542 save percentage to go with three ground balls. Five of her saves came during the pivotal fourth quarter to help preserve the hard-fought, two-goal win.
Maintaing Possession
W&M currently leads the CAA and ranks 12th nationally with 12.0 turnovers per game.
Close Calls
Two of the Tribe's first four games have been tightly contested, as it defeated Coastal Carolina 13-11 before being edged by George Washington, 10-9. Since the start of the 2023 season, W&M has played in 10 games decided by just a single goal.
Record Watch
Senior
Ainsley Huizenga currently ranks seventh all-time at W&M in draw controls (115) and needs just one more to pass Colleen Dalon for sixth in the Tribe's all-time record book.
Kate Draddy ranks 12th at W&M with 99 draw controls.
Overtime Success
The Tribe has won four of its last six OT games dating back to 2019.
Team Captains
W&M is led by a quartet of team captains this season -
Paige Gilbert,
Kate Draddy,
Claire Doto and
Sophia Chiodo Ortiz - as head coach
Kelyn Freedman announced the selections at the conclusion of the fall.
Academic Excellence
During the fall,
W&M Athletics was once again recognized for its academic excellence as it recorded the highest Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) among all Division I public institutions. Lax helped lead the way and earned a 100% GSR for the seventh straight season.
Up Next
Following Saturday's game, W&M will return to action when it plays at High Point on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
