In a matchup that required overtime for William and Mary to win last year, another tight game with archrival Richmond this Wednesday had the Tribe leaving Robins Stadium with a tally in the win column, the fifth of the season. The College ultimately defeated the Spiders 10-9, U of R not having enough time to mount a comeback after being down 10-8 late in the match.
The Tribe (5-4) dominated the first half, though the Spiders (4-3) had an early lead. At the half, the Spiders had three goals, the first two coming before any College scoring. Just 13 seconds in, Richmond scored after the draw control, a worrying sign of what could potentially be a blowout. However, it proved to just be luck, as the Spiders would not strike again until the 19 minute, 48 second mark while a man down due to a yellow card.
The College continued its run with four additional goals for a total of six before Richmond answered with 17 seconds before the break.
Down 2-0, the Tribe showed up on offense 18 seconds later as junior midfielder Shannon Quinn, assisted by sophomore midfielder Abby Corkum, fired into the net to make it 2-1. The tying goal came at 18:42 courtesy of junior midfielder Lindsey Jenks, also assisted by Corkum. The College continued its run with four additional goals for a total of six before Richmond answered with 17 seconds before the break. The third goal came at 17:01 by Quinn, the fourth a minute later by freshman midfielder Hannah Ryan after the Tribe gained possession from a ground ball pickup. Several minutes later, Corkum scored at 5:57. Corkum hit the net once more with 3:49 to go in the half, putting the score at 6-2. With the Spiders’ late goal, the score was 6-3 at the half.
The rallies reversed for the second half, U of R outscoring William and Mary 6-4. However, the first half lead would prove a solid boost to secure victory despite the low production of the second half. The Spiders fired four unanswered goals to take a 7-6 lead, the goals coming at 24:50, 23:05, 13:44 (for the tie) and 12:04. The Tribe was on target with its shots during this stretch, but Spiders keeper Danni Leserve was always there for the save.
Her team trailing 7-6, Quinn completed a hat trick with a goal from a free position shot with 10:30 remaining. After a U of R foul on the same player led to another free position shot, Quinn got a second opportunity, netting her fourth goal of the day to put the College ahead 8-7 with under nine to play.
Her team trailing 7-6, Quinn completed a hat trick with a goal from a free position shot with 10:30 remaining. After a U of R foul on the same player led to another free position shot, Quinn got a second opportunity, netting her fourth goal of the day to put the College ahead 8-7 with under nine to play. Refusing to slip away, the Spiders tied the game at eight a minute later after re-securing position from a wide missed shot. Richmond took the draw control but turned the ball over, giving the Tribe the ground ball. That position ended with the College’s ninth goal, an on-target shot from senior attack Zoe Boger. William and Mary scored the eventual game-winner with 3:11 on the clock, the Tribe taking advantage of playing a man-up after a Richmond yellow card. The shot rang in off the stick of sophomore attack Danielle Palmucci. Richmond scored from the free position with 2:48 to play to make it 10-9, but a series of five fouls on the Spiders bled the clock to zero, the College holding on for a win.
On the stat sheet, the Spiders outshot the Tribe 33-21, though only 23-21 on shots on goal. All of the College’s shots were on target, a solid sign of the team’s ability as the conference season looms in the near future. Senior keeper Meredith Crizer had 14 saves while Leserve had 11. The Spiders also won the turnover battle with the Tribe giving up possession 16 times to Richmond’s 12, though both teams had six turnovers in the second half. The ground ball and draw control games were just as tight as the scoreboard, both teams grabbing 13 ground balls and Richmond leading the Tribe 11-9 in draw controls. Richmond also was up 5-4 on free position shots, four of those coming in the first half.
With a road game at Liberty (1-7) this Saturday at 1 p.m., William and Mary wraps up non-conference play. A win would secure a winning record heading into Colonial Athletic Association games to continue one of the best years of Tribe lacrosse in recent memory.