WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will continue its non-conference slate when it plays at High Point for the Panthers' home opener on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The game will be broadcast on
ESPN+, while live stats will be available at
HighPointPanthers.com.
Complete game day information is available below.
A Look at the Tribe
After earning a 17-11 victory against VCU in its last outing, W&M enters Wednesday's game with a 2-3 overall record.
Anna Dawson (15g, 2a) and
Ainsley Huizenga (5g, 12) lead the Tribe with 17 points apiece, while
Paige Gilbert (8g, 7a) and
Kate Draddy (11g, 3) have also come up big offensively.
Draddy also leads the CAA and ranks 10th nationally in shooting percentage (.688), while she ranks fifth in the league in draw controls per game (4.6). Dawson ranks sixth in the conference in goals per game (3.0), while Huizenga (2.4) and Gilbert (1.4) rank fourth and eighth, respectively, in assists per contest.
As a team, W&M leads the CAA and ranks 18th nationally in fewest turnovers per game (12.6).
Scouting High Point
High Point currently owns a 1-3 record and is coming off a 12-8 setback to then-No. 19 Navy in its last outing. Despite the loss, HPU entered the fourth quarter tied with the nationally ranked Mids. The Panthers' lone victory came at Campbell, while their other losses have come against Duke and Liberty.
Esprit Cha (12g, 3a) and Allie Connally (9g, 6a) lead the team with 15 points apiece, while Shannon Smith has totaled nine goals and three assists. Lily Trout's 17 draw controls lead the Panthers, while Julia Dustin has totaled a team-high nine caused turnovers.
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
HPU / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
11.2 / 13.6 |
12.5 / 16.2 |
| Shooting % |
.427 / .450 |
.459 / .414 |
| Assists |
31 / 39 |
21 / 24 |
| Ground Balls |
74 / 80 |
65 / 78 |
| Draw Controls |
62 / 79 |
49 / 79 |
| Turnovers |
63 / 63 |
74 / 67 |
| Caused Turnovers |
33 / 42 |
37 / 45 |
W&M-High Point All-Time Series
Wednesday's game will mark the first meeting between W&M and High Point.
Last Time Out
Propelled by a balanced attack in which nine different William & Mary players scored and
Ainsley Huizenga's single-game school-record-tying six assists, the Tribe lacrosse team earned an impressive 17-11 victory against VCU at Martin Family Stadium last Saturday. Although VCU led 6-3 early in the second quarter, W&M charged ahead with a 9-0 run and held the Rams scoreless for more than 17 minutes during the pivotal stretch. In addition to her six assists, Huizenga also scored once for a career-high seven points to go with two ground balls and a caused turnover.
Anna Dawson registered a career-high six goals on just eight shots, while
Paige Gilbert totaled five points (2g, 3a) with a career-best nine draw controls – an impressive figure that ranks tied for fifth in school history – three ground balls and a caused turnover.
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 102 draw controls and needs just seven more to move into W&M's all-time top-10 list.
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.
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 Wednesday's game, W&M will return to action when it plays at Longwood on Saturday at 1 p.m.
