WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will return to action when it hosts Monmouth for its Best Buddies Game at Martin Family Stadium on Monday at 4 p.m.
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
After opening its conference slate with back-to-back setbacks versus Drexel and Hofstra, the Tribe enters Monday's matchup with a 4-5 overall record and a 0-2 mark in CAA action.
Paige Gilbert (18g, 14) leads the Tribe with 32 points, while
Anna Dawson (26g, 4a) and
Ainsley Huizenga (13g, 15a) have also provided outstanding production offensively.
Kate Draddy has also come up big with a team-high 32 draw controls and 23 points (18g, 5a). Draddy also ranks among the nation's best with a 64.3 shooting percentage (updated national rankings will be released on March 24).
Dawson ranks seventh in the CAA in goals per game (2.89), while Gilbert is 10th in points per contest (3.56) and eighth in assists (1.56). Huizenga ranks tied for sixth in assists per game (1.67).
Draddy (3.56) and Gilbert (3.11) also rank among the conference's top 10 in draw controls per game, while Draddy is also eighth in ground balls per game (2.44).
Goalie
Marin Wilhelm is third in saves per contest (8.56).
As a team, W&M ranks third in the CAA in assists per game (5.56) and fourth in ground balls per game (17.89) and fewest turnovers per contest (13.78).
Scouting Monmouth
Monmouth currently owns a 3-7 overall record and is 0-2 in CAA play after losing to Elon (14-10) and Campbell (11-10) in its last two outings. The Hawks rank last in the conference in scoring (9.8).
Individually, Shea Berigan leads the team with 32 points (26g, 6a), while Danielle McNeely (12g, 10a) and Caroline Brennan (11g, 11a) have totaled 22 points apiece. Caleigh Shore (23 dc), McNeely (22 dc) and Kate Carolonza (21 dc) lead MU on the draw circle, while goalie Katy Sullivan leads the CAA in save percentage (.538) and saves per game (12.44).
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
Monmouth / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
12.0 / 13.8 |
9.8 / 11.9 |
| Shooting % |
.441 / .463 |
.377 / .351 |
| Assists |
50 / 58 |
52 / 42 |
| Ground Balls |
161 / 158 |
136 / 144 |
| Draw Controls |
113 / 147 |
117 / 136 |
| Turnovers |
124 / 122 |
152 / 138 |
| Caused Turnovers |
65 / 76 |
75 / 68 |
W&M-Monmouth All-Time Series
W&M and Monmouth have played just twice with the Hawks winning both matchups in West Long Branch, N.J. MU won 14-9 in 2023 and 14-13 last season.
Last Meeting vs. Monmouth
W&M outscored Monmouth in the second half and nearly rallied back from a late three-goal deficit, but it was edged by the Hawks, 14-13, last season. Trailing by three goals with a little more than 2 minutes remaining, W&M charged back with scores by
Paige Gilbert and
Chloe Pierini and had an opportunity to tie the contest in the waning seconds but
Serena Jacobs' shot on goal was saved by Monmouth goalie, Katie Sullivan. Gilbert led W&M by matching a career high with six goals to go with four draw controls, three ground balls and a caused turnover. W&M outshot MU, 39-33, which included a 30-25 margin in attempts on goal. The Tribe also dominated the draw circle, 19-10, and held a 19-17 edge in ground balls.
Last Time Out
W&M fell to Hofstra, 11-7, in its CAA home opener at Martin Family Stadium on Friday evening. W&M and HU were even during the final two quarters and scored six goals apiece, but the Tribe was unable to overcome the four-goal halftime deficit.
Anna Dawson,
Sophia Chiodo Ortiz and
Finley Hoffman led W&M with two goals apiece, while
Kate Draddy (1g, 1a) and
Paige Gilbert (2a) both added two points. Gilbert also posted a game-high five draw controls, while Draddy tallied four ground balls and three draw controls. Dawson also came up big with a career-high five ground balls.
Jaylin Locke led the Tribe defensively with three caused turnovers and three ground balls, while
Molly Delaney (3ct, 2gb) and
Anna Armstrong (2ct, 3gb) also posted impressive efforts.
Record Watch
Senior
Ainsley Huizenga currently ranks sixth all-time at W&M in draw controls (119) and needs just four more to pass Sarah Jonson for fifth in the Tribe's all-time record book.
Kate Draddy ranks eighth at W&M with 111 draw controls and needs just five more to pass Colleen Dalon for seventh.
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.
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 Monmouth, W&M will return to action when it plays at No. 18 Stony Brook on Sunday at noon.
