WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will open its home conference slate when it hosts Hofstra at Martin Family Stadium on Friday at 5 p.m.
The contest will support
Harlem Lacrosse, which is an innovative school-based youth development organization with 40 programs in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Los Angeles that focuses on uplifting students from underserved communities. Harlem Lacrosse combines academic support, lacrosse instruction and competition, enrichment activities, and college and career counseling to help young people reach their full potential. For more information, or to support Harlem Lacrosse, please visit
HarlemLacrosse.org.
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, while video of the contest will be streamed on
FloCollege.
Complete game day information is available below.
A Look at the Tribe
Having won three of its last four games, William & Mary enters its home conference slate with a 4-4 overall record and a 0-1 mark in league play.
Paige Gilbert (18g, 12) leads the Tribe with 30 points, while
Anna Dawson (24g, 4a) and
Ainsley Huizenga (13g, 15a) have totaled 28 points apiece.
Kate Draddy has also come up big with a team-high 29 draw controls and 21 points (17g, 4a). Draddy ranks ninth nationally in shooting percentage (.654), while Dawson in 19th (.600).
Dawson ranks fifth in the CAA in goals per game (3.0) and 10th in points per game (3.5), while Gilbert is seventh in points (3.75) and Huizenga is fifth in assists (1.88).
Draddy (3.63) and Gilbert (2.88) also ranks among the conference's top 10 in draw controls per game, while goalie
Marin Wilhelm is third in saves per contest (8.75).
As a team, W&M ranks third in the CAA in assists per game (5.88) and fourth in points per contest (18.5) and fewest turnovers per game (13.38). Additionally, the Tribe ranks 13th nationally in shooting percentage (.476).
Scouting Hofstra
Having lost three of its last four contests, Hofstra enters Friday's game with a 5-3 overall record and a 0-1 mark in CAA action. As a team, the Pride ranks second in the CAA in points per game (19.63) and assists per game (6.75), while it is third in goals per game (12.88). Additionally, Hofstra is second in draw controls per game (14.75) and third in goals against average (9.88).
Individually, Nikki Mennella leads the team with 44 points (24g, 20) and 38 draw controls, while Kayleigh Bender (19g, 8a) and Kristen Redding (15g, 9a) have also come up big offensively. Defensively, Christine Dannenfelser has totaled team highs in caused turnovers (14) and ground balls (18) to go with 32 draw controls.
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
Hofstra / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
12.6 / 14.2 |
12.8 / 9.8 |
| Shooting % |
.476 / .458 |
.464 / .425 |
| Assists |
47 / 55 |
54 / 44 |
| Ground Balls |
132 / 138 |
123 / 108 |
| Draw Controls |
103 / 135 |
113 / 119 |
| Turnovers |
107 / 106 |
113 / 119 |
| Caused Turnovers |
52 / 66 |
62 / 57 |
W&M-Hofstra All-Time Series
Hofstra controls the all-time series, 15-8, and has won eight of the last nine matchups. Five of the last 11 games have been decided by just one goal, which includes four overtime contests. The programs first met in 1978 – an 18-0 W&M victory.
Last Meeting vs. Hofstra
W&M opened its 2024 CAA slate with a 13-6 setback at Hofstra. Although W&M trailed by just two at halftime, 6-4, Hofstra outscored the Tribe 7-0 in the third quarter to build a comfortable advantage. The Tribe held HU scoreless in the fourth quarter but was unable to get closer than the final margin.
Paige Gilbert and
Kate Draddy led W&M with two goals apiece, while Gilbert added two draw controls and two ground balls.
Ainsley Huizenga also recorded two points (1g, 1a) with a pair of draw controls. Goalie
Marin Wilhelm was outstanding in goal and recorded a career-high 15 saves with a .536 save percentage. Nine of her stops came in the first half.
Last Time Out
W&M's three-game winning streak was snapped with a 21-11 setback at No. 23 Drexel in its CAA opener last Friday. W&M trailed by just one, 4-3, late in the first quarter, but Drexel broke the game open with eight unanswered goals.
Paige Gilbert (4g) and
Ainsley Huizenga (3g, 1a) led the Green & Gold with four points apiece, while Gilbert also added two draw controls and two ground balls.
Kate Draddy found the back of the cage twice and posted a career-high seven ground balls with a draw control.
Success on the Road
W&M is off to 3-2 start on the road this season and needs just one more victory away from Williamsburg to match its best total since 2019.
Record Watch
Senior
Ainsley Huizenga currently ranks sixth all-time at W&M in draw controls (118) and needs just five more to pass Sarah Jonson for fifth in the Tribe's all-time record book.
Kate Draddy ranks 11th at W&M with 108 draw controls and needs just one more to move into W&M's all-time top-10 list.
Tightly Contested
Three of the Tribe's games this season have been decided by no more than two goals, as it defeated Coastal Carolina (13-11) and High Point (18-17), while it was edged by George Washington (10-9).
Overtime Success
The Tribe has won four of its last six OT games dating back to 2019.
One for the Record Books
Ainsley Huizenga and
Paige Gilbert etched their names into W&M's record book during the win against VCU, as both standouts posted a pair of the best performances in program history. Huizenga equaled a single-game school record with six assists, while Gilbert's career-best nine draw controls ranks tied for fifth in school history. Additionally,
Anna Dawson scored a career-high six goals, which ranks just outside W&M's top-10 list.
CAA Player of the Week Honors
A trio of Tribe standouts have earned CAA weekly honors this season, as
Kate Draddy (offensive player of the week, 2/10),
Marin Wilhelm (defensive player of the week, 2/10) and
Alexis Savage (rookie of the week, 3/10) have all garnered the distinction.
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 the contest against Hofstra, W&M will return to action when it hosts Monmouth at Martin Family Stadium on Monday at 4 p.m. The contest will be W&M's Best Buddies Game.
