Lacrosse: Tribe at bottom of CAA after home losses to Hofstra, Drexel

With a weekend of two close Colonial Athletic Association losses, William and Mary fell to 0-3 in-conference, suffering three consecutive defeats to counter their preceding three-game winning streak. Hosting Hofstra and Drexel at Martin Family Stadium, the Pride won 10-9 in overtime while the Dragons left Williamsburg with an 11-8 victory.

Friday’s game against Hofstra (3-7, 1-0 CAA) was the second of the season to enter golden goal overtime, but the match looked as if it would be wrapped up in regulation, the Tribe failing to hold a 9-5 lead in the second half.

“I think we had a strong first 45 minutes, and then I think we kind of let up in the last 15,” head coach Hillary Fratzke said. “I think we let Hofstra get a lot of momentum, I think putting the nail in the coffin is something we have to work on.”

“I think we had a strong first 45 minutes, and then I think we kind of let up in the last 15,” head coach Hillary Fratzke said. “I think we let Hofstra get a lot of momentum, I think putting the nail in the coffin is something we have to work on.”

To begin the game, the College (6-7, 0-3 CAA) quickly scored two goals by the 28 minute, 17 second mark of the first half. Junior midfielder Lindsey Jenks scored the first, assisted by junior midfielder Shannon Quinn, while Quinn scored the second goal unassisted. The Pride and the Tribe traded goals over the middle 10 minutes of the half for a total of six goals between 20:10 and 9:06, putting the score at 5-3, the Tribe leading. There would be no more scoring for the remainder of the half, though the Tribe took several shots, holding a 14-9 advantage at the half, 9-6 in shots-on-goal.

After the break, the College opened the scoring again with Quinn’s second goal of the night. However, the Pride responded with two goals to close the gap at 6-5 by 26:45. After the quick barrage, the Tribe responded with a trio of goals over a four-minute span, including two from freshman midfielder Hannah Ryan at 21:15 and 18:48. The score now 9-5, the College didn’t score again, despite keeping possession for long stretches of time.

“We need to attack hard,” Fratzke said. “I think that taking the step to not be selfish but still going really hard because we have to be able to generate for teammates and we just didn’t do a great job of being all seven of us being prepped so it was easier to defend.”

Hofstra fought back, the tying goal entering the net at 4:02 via a free position shot by Pride attack Lindsay Scott, who scored four goals in the contest. Many long possessions for the Tribe ended in saves or turnovers, especially down the stretch.

“We need to attack hard,” Fratzke said. “I think that taking the step to not be selfish but still going really hard because we have to be able to generate for teammates and we just didn’t do a great job of being all seven of us being prepped so it was easier to defend.”

“I think it gives a little bit of momentum to Hofstra when they do that,” Fratzke said. “A lot of that comes down to, when you get the shot opportunity, making sure you finish it.”

The College failed to get a shot on frame before the horn blew, resulting in overtime.

After a quick timeout after Hofstra took the draw control, Pride attack Lexi Lenaghan tallied their 10th and final goal 31 seconds into the extra period, ending the game and giving Hofstra its first CAA win of the season. Quinn, Ryan and Jenks each scored two goals. Fratzke outlined her goals for Sunday’s game versus Drexel.

“For everybody to be on the same page as far as the game plan and making sure that when we have the opportunity to execute, we do it,” she said.

“For everybody to be on the same page as far as the game plan and making sure that when we have the opportunity to execute, we do it.” — Fratzke on keys to the Drexel game

Despite finishing in regulation, Sunday’s game against Drexel (8-4, 1-1 CAA) was as tense as Friday night’s. However, it began with a strong opening for the Dragons, as they went up 4-0 before the first 10 minutes were done. The Tribe finally scored at 16:02, to which Drexel responded with a free position goal to go up 5-1. The College refused to go away, fighting back to a 5-4 deficit with four minutes before halftime. The Dragons would get one more goal past senior keeper Meredith Crizer in the first period for a halftime score of 6-4.

Coming back with renewed life, the Tribe quickly put up three goals to take a 7-6 lead by the 21:47 mark of the second period, the go-ahead goal via junior defender Abby Junior. The momentum shifted, but Drexel took it right back, tying and going up 10-7 with under five to play. William and Mary scored once more with 1:56 remaining, but it proved not to be enough as the Dragons fired their killing blow with 34 seconds left, establishing the 11-8 final score.

The losses put the Tribe in seventh place in the CAA, while dropping its overall record below .500. Next weekend, the College closes out its road slate with a pair of games — Friday night at Towson and Sunday afternoon at Delaware.

1 COMMENT

  1. My, my, Mr. Sipolla Guy, another fine story. Having been born and raised on Long Island, to be honest I’m sick to death of Lacrosse. I wonder how the ancient Iroquois who invented the sport would feel when they learned their beloved pastime has been overrun with rich prep-stars fresh off their investment banker daddy’s new BMW. Still, I am disappointed to hear we blew such a substantial lead, especially against a team as incredibly disgusting as Hofstra. Their campus is 40 minutes from my house, and I promise the place looks like the urban wasteland of a zombie apocalypse, except I doubt even Rick Grimes and his band of intrepid heroes could take on the selfish, whiny, entitled ass-wipes who call that hellhole home. But I’m not writing to comment on the sport of lacrosse, or even Dicky Nicky’s stellar reporting skills. No, I’m writing today to question the validity of the Virginian public drinking law which prevented me from cracking open a nice bottle of Henry’s hard ginger ale to enjoy while watching the game. You have to admit, getting a nice buzz going on some sweet Henry’s definitely would have made this loss easier to handle. Please, Police of Williamsburg, can we work together to create a dialogue on this issue? I think together, if we pool our ideas and resources, we can form some sort of powerful change for lacrosse and our community as a whole. By the way, did you know they never made an Air Bud movie about lacrosse? It wouldve been cool to watch that golden retriever hack the shit out of people with his stick, or tackle another player to the ground. I guess no amount of peanut butter on the muzzle would have made that feasibly possible though :(. So I’m currently on season two of Breaking Bad and enjoying it thoroughly. Please no spoilers. Skyler is such a fucking bitch. Hugs and kisses Nicholas, from Nana xoxoxoxo

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