WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary lacrosse team will conclude its non-conference slate when it hosts ECU at Martin Family Stadium on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The contest will promote
Morgan's Message, which is an organization that seeks to amplify stories, resources and expertise to strengthen student-athlete mental health, build a community by and for athletes through peer-to-peer conversations and provide a platform for advocacy.
Additionally, the team will sign autographs for fans following the contest.
The game will be broadcast on
FloCollege, while live stats will be available at
TribeAthletics.com.
Admission is free.
Clear Bag Policy and Metal Detectors
Furthering its commitment to a first class and secure environment at home athletic events, William & Mary will implement the use of walk-through metal detectors at the entrances to athletic venues (both ticketed and non-ticketed events). This enhanced security method mirrors standard practice at most major professional and intercollegiate athletic events throughout the country and compliments the
Clear Bag Policy already in place. Fans will proceed through metal detectors prior to having their tickets scanned or entering a venue for non-tickets events. Entrants will not need to remove items such as belts, cell phones, coins, jackets, jewelry, watches, wallets, shoes or other small objects. If additional screening is necessary, security staff will ask the individual to proceed to a secondary screening area, where they will be asked to divest themselves of certain items and pass through again until clear.
Complete game day information is available below.
Look at the Tribe
W&M enters Saturday's contest with a 7-5 record overall and a 2-2 mark in CAA play.
As a team, the Tribe currently ranks second in the CAA in shooting percentage (.397) and third in ground balls per game (17.25) and fewest turnovers per contest (13.75).
Individually,
Grace Walter ranks sixth in the CAA in assists per game (1.36) and ninth in points per game (3.0), while
Kate Draddy is fifth in draw controls per game (4.42) and 10th in ground balls per contest (2.0). Goalie
Anna Lopez ranks second in save percentage (.444) and saves per game (8.0), while she is third in goals against average (10.0) and fifth in ground balls per game (2.5).
Scouting ECU
ECU will conclude a stretch of four consecutive road games on Wednesday and owns a 4-7 record overall and a 1-2 mark in American Athletic Conference action. The Pirates are 0-6 on the road this season and have lost five of their last six games.
ECU is averaging just 10.2 goals per game but ranks second in the AAC in fewest turnovers per contest (13.2).
Individually, Sarah Goodison leads the Pirates with 32 points (21g, 11a), while Kayla Wilkes (20g, 8) and Katelyn Sciafani (15g, 11a) have also come up big offensively. Wilkes also leads the team in caused turnovers (24) and ranks second on the squad in draw controls (21).
| Matchup At A Glance |
|
W&M / Opp. |
ECU / Opp. |
| Goals Avg. |
10.7 / 10.5 |
10.2 / 12.8 |
| Shooting % |
.397 / .438 |
.402 / .431 |
| Assists |
61 / 71 |
62 / 58 |
| Ground Balls |
207 / 173 |
164 / 169 |
| Draw Controls |
145 / 135 |
119 / 155 |
| Turnovers |
165 / 178 |
145 / 161 |
| Caused Turnovers |
98 / 106 |
97 / 94 |
W&M-ECU All-Time Series
ECU owns a 2-1 edge in the all-time series, as both teams are unbeaten at home.
Last Meeting vs. ECU
W&M concluded its non-conference slate with a narrow 14-13 setback at ECU last season. The Tribe rallied back from a five-goal deficit in the second half and took a 12-11 lead with 10:11 remaining following an impressive 6-0 run. Although ECU briefly reclaimed the lead with consecutive goals by Erin Gulden, the Tribe knotted the score at 13-13 on an equalizer by
Finley Hoffman off an assist by
Ainsley Huizenga with 2:50 remaining. However, Rachel Chessock's goal with 2:12 on the clock proved to be the game-winner, as W&M won the ensuing draw but Gilbert's attempt on goal was high and the Tribe then committed a turnover.
Paige Gilbert led the Tribe with four goals, four draw controls, four ground balls and a caused turnover, while Hoffman (3g) and
Anna Dawson (3g) both recorded hat tricks.
Kate Draddy also came up big with a team-high five draw controls, two caused turnovers and a ground ball
Last Time Out
W&M fell at Elon, 9-4, on Saturday afternoon. Although W&M owned a 3-0 advantage late in the first quarter, Elon limited the Tribe to just one goal during the remainder of the contest en route to earning the conference win.
Taylor McCall led W&M with two goals and a pair of draw controls, while
Kate Draddy and
Alexis Savage added goals. Draddy also totaled a game-high five ground balls. Goalie
Anna Lopez came up big defensively with a career-high 13 saves to go with a .590 save percentage and four ground balls, while
Mila Millhouse (3 CT, 2 GB),
Nora Begley (2 CT) and
Anna Armstrong (2 CT, 1 GB) all posted multiple 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.
Impressive Defensive Efforts
During the last six 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 five of its opponents to less than 10 goals this season and is 4-1 in those contests. The efforts mark the first time since 2016 that W&M has held at least five opponents to less than 10 goals.
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).
Heating Up
After scoring nine goals during the first eight games this season,
Taylor McCall has totaled 14 during the past four contests.
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 187 draw controls.
Underclassmen Impact
W&M's freshmen and sophomores have scored 71.3 percent (92 of 129) of the team's goals this season, as five the Tribe's top six scorers are underclassmen.
Record Watch
Jaylin Locke is currently ranked tied for eighth at W&M in career caused turnovers (57) and needs just four 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.
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.
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 Wednesday's game against ECU, W&M will return to its CAA slate when it hosts No. 13 Stony Brook at Martin Family Stadium on Sunday at noon.
