Head Coach Christine Halfpenny took her team to Australia over winter break and left impressed with the play of her young squad. The trip was designed as a way to prepare the Tribe for a grueling non-conference schedule that pitted the College against some of the nation’s top teams. Despite the progress that the Tribe made in Australia, the team has so far been unable to pull off victories over their highly rated competition.
p. After winning their first two games, the Tribe has now fallen to 2-6 thanks to close losses against then-ranked no. 3 University of Virginia, no. 3 Duke University and no. 7 Georgetown University. The College, which went 3-13 last year and finished last in the CAA, opens its conference schedule April 4 against rival James Madison University.
p. In the Tribe’s most recent game, freshman Grace Golden led a fierce comeback as the Tribe narrowly fell to Georgetown, 8-7. The Tribe, led by senior Jaime Sellers’ 31 goals and three assists, already has four players with double-digit goal tallies on the year.
Golden (18 goals, five assists) and fellow freshmen Maggie Anderson (17 goals, four assists) and Ashley Holofcener (10 goals, seven assists) have all had an immediate impact for the College. Their play has shown the quality of this year’s recruiting class and offered a glimpse of what promise the future holds for the Tribe.
Another stellar freshman has been goalkeeper Emily Geary, who helped lead the U.S. Under-19 National Team to the world championship and recorded 12 saves against Georgetown.
p. Once the conference season gets underway, matchups against undefeated Old Dominion University and 7-1 Drexel University will help to demonstrate whether or not Halfpenny’s strategy has paid dividends for this young Tribe squad.