WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Having won its last two games, and four of its last five, the William & Mary lacrosse team will look to continue building upon its recent success when it plays at Elon on Saturday at noon.
The game will be broadcast on
FloCollege, while live stats will be available at
ElonPhoenix.com.
Complete game day information is available below
A Look at the Tribe
Winners in four of its last five games, W&M enters Saturday's contest with a 7-4 record overall and a 2-1 mark in CAA play.
As a team, the Tribe currently leads the CAA in fewest turnovers per game (13.0) and ranks second in shooting percentage (.398). Additionally, the Tribe ranks third in draw controls per game (12.73) and ground balls per game (17.36).
Individually,
Grace Walter ranks seventh in the CAA in assists per game (1.4) and eighth in points per game (3.2), while
Taylor McCall is 10th in goals per game (1.91) and ninth in draw controls per game (3.18). Goalie
Anna Lopez ranks third in goals against average (10.14) and save percentage (.418), while she is fourth in saves per game (7.29) and sixth in ground balls per game (2.29).
Kate Draddy ranks fifth in draw controls per game (4.73).
Scouting Elon
Elon has lost four of its last six games and currently owns a 5-6 overall record and a 1-2 mark in CAA action. However, two of the Phoenix's setbacks have come against nationally ranked teams, while both of their conference losses have been by a single goal.
Elon currently leads the CAA in shooting percentage (.432), while it ranks second in fewest turnovers per game (13.27) and third in caused turnovers per game (8.64).
Individually, MJ Santa Barbara leads the CAA in draw controls per game (5.73), while Ana Lee Vandiver (21g, 9a) and Anna Hackett (24g, 3a) lead the Phoenix offensively. Defensively, Raegan Kuehn has totaled a team-high 19 caused turnovers and 25 ground balls.
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
Elon / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
11.3 / 10.7 |
10.4 / 10.7 |
| Shooting % |
.398 / .452 |
.432 / .465 |
| Assists |
59 / 70 |
48 / 76 |
| Ground Balls |
191 / 153 |
173 / 165 |
| Draw Controls |
140 / 125 |
122 / 130 |
| Turnovers |
143 / 163 |
146 / 164 |
| Caused Turnovers |
88 / 89 |
95 / 100 |
W&M-Elon All-Time Series
Elon controls the all-time series 8-2, and has won seven of the last eight matchups.
Last Meeting vs. Elon
Although W&M trailed by three during the waning minutes of the contest, it mounted an impressive comeback bid with goals by
Ainsley Huizenga (3:11) and
Finley Hoffman (2:10) and had a chance to even the score in the closing seconds. After a defensive stand gave the Tribe possession with less than 30 seconds remaining, it quickly advanced the ball into its attacking end before utilizing a timeout with 14.4 remaining. However, W&M was unable to get a shot off as the final horn sounded. Much of the first half was tightly contested, as neither team led by more than two scores until the Tribe closed the second quarter with three unanswered goals to go ahead, 8-5. However, Elon outscored W&M in the third quarter, 5-0, to pull ahead by two.
Paige Gilbert completed her hat trick less than a minute into the fourth stanza, but Elon responded with a pair of goals to provide a three-goal cushion before the Tribe's late charge. In addition to Gilbert, who totaled three goals, five draw controls, a caused turnover and a ground ball, Huizenga came up big offensively with a team-high five points (2g, 3a) to go with two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
Last Time Out
W&M earned an impressive conference road victory last Saturday, as it defeated Monmouth, 13-10. Although W&M fell behind 3-0 early and trailed at halftime, 6-5, it scored six of the first seven goals following the intermission to build an 11-7 advantage early in the fourth quarter. Monmouth briefly narrowed the margin to two at 11-9 with 10:16 remaining, but the Tribe responded with a back-to-back goals from
Nora Begley and
Kate Draddy to secure the triumph. Begley led W&M with a game-high five points (3g, 2a), while
Taylor McCall (3g),
Finley Hoffman (2g, 1a) and Draddy (2g) also came up big offensively. Additionally, Draddy equaled season highs in draw controls (7) and ground balls (5) to go with two caused turnovers.
Seeking a Milestone Win
With one more victory W&M will secure eight victories this season, matching the most wins by the program (2023) dating back through 2012. Additionally, one more CAA win will equal the program's highest conference total during the same time span.
Heating Up
After scoring nine goals during the first eight games this season,
Taylor McCall has totaled 12 during the past three contests.
Narrow Margins
W&M has won all five of its games decided by three or fewer goals this season, as it earned wins against Geoge Mason (14-12), Coastal Carolina (9-7), Xavier (8-7), UMBC (12-10) and Monmouth (13-10).
Record Breaker
Kate Draddy made history in the win against UMBC by becoming the program's all-time leader in draw controls, as her five draw controls increased her career total to 179 – breaking the previous mark of 177 set by Sarah Cipolla (2020-23). She currently has 186 draw controls.
Impressive Defensive Efforts
During the last five games, W&M has held its opponents to just 8.8 goals per game and has not allowed more than 10 goals in any of those contests. Additionally, W&M has limited four of its opponents to less than 10 goals this season and is 4-0 in those contests. The efforts mark the first time since 2023 that W&M has held at least four opponents to less than 10 goals.
Underclassmen Impact
W&M's freshmen and sophomores have scored 71.2 percent (89 of 125) of the team's goals this season, as five the Tribe's top six scorers are underclassmen.
Elite Effort
Freshman
Mila Millhouse's seven goals in the win against Drexel tied for sixth in the Tribe's record book and marked the most goals scored by a freshman in the country this season.
Record Watch
Jaylin Locke is currently ranked tied for eighth at W&M in career caused turnovers (55) and needs just six more to pass Becca Hall for seventh.
Goalie
Marin Wilhelm currently ranks 10th at W&M with 267 career saves and needs 52 to pass Lisa Dixon for ninth.
CAA Defensive Player of the Week
After helping lead W&M to a victory against Coastal Carolina, sophomore standout
Sophie Busam was selected as the CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week. En route to helping the Tribe limit Coastal Carolina to just seven goals, including just one score in the final 26:19, Busam totaled a career-high three caused turnovers to go with four ground balls.
CAA Rookie of the Week Honors
After posting outstanding performances, a pair of W&M standout freshmen have been selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week this season.
Mila Millhouse (Feb. 16 & March 16) and
Nora Begley (Feb. 23 & March 30) both garnered the distinction twice.
Snapping a Streak
W&M's 13-7 win against Drexel on March 14 snapped the Dragon's eight-game winning streak in the series.
Big Margin
W&M's 20-5 victory against Longwood in its home opener marked the program's largest margin of victory since its 21-3 win at Stetson in 2013. Additionally, the Tribe's goal total marked the program's highest scoring output since 2022 when it earned a 20-15 win at Campbell, while the defensive performance marked the fewest goals allowed by W&M since 2020 when it defeated Old Dominion, 11-4.
Overtime Success
The Tribe has won four of its last six OT games dating back to 2019.
Academic Excellence
During the fall, W&M was once again recognized for its academic excellence as it recorded the second-highest Federal Graduation Rate (FGR) among all Division I public institutions. Lax helped lead the way and earned a 100% GSR for the eighth straight season. Additionally, 24 standouts were named to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll during the fall semester.
Up Next
Following this weekend's game at Elon, W&M will return to its non-conference slate when it hosts ECU at Martin Family Stadium next Wednesday at 5 p.m.
