Sunday, Oct. 20, William and Mary faced off against Lafayette at Rappolt Field in Easton, Pa. The Tribe (9-5) was on a dominant five-game winning streak coming off a 3-2 victory over Colonial Athletic Association rival Drexel two days prior. The run continued, as the Tribe defeated the Leopards (9-6) on their senior night in a 3-2 overtime victory.
In the first period, the Tribe came out playing aggressively against the Leopards. In the first two minutes, Tribe junior defender Haley Hopkins had two shots on goal, though both were saved by the Leopards. After this quick start, both teams began to take their time picking up momentum. Each team had quite a few substitutions during the first ten minutes as they got into the groove of the game. At 12 minutes 36 seconds, Tribe senior midfielder Annie Snead drew the first corner of the game for the Tribe. On this scoring attempt, Hopkins’ shot went wide, and at the end of the period, the score remained 0-0.
Early in the second quarter, the Leopards got their first shot on goal of the game when Leopard defender Lisa van der Geest had a scoring attempt that was ultimately blocked. At 26 minutes 40 seconds, the Leopards were awarded their first penalty corner of the game, drawn by Leopard midfielder Mary Gould. However, this corner did not result in a goal for the Leopards. After the corner, the Tribe slowly turned the tide in its favor. Again, Hopkins was a key player for the Tribe when she had two shots on goal, though both were saved by Leopard goalkeeper Sarah Park. As the quarter came to a close, both teams had failed to establish a lead, and going into the half the score remained 0-0.
In the third period, the Leopards came out of the half with a new power. Within two minutes, Leopard midfielder Anna Steps drew a penalty corner. On this corner, Leopard midfielder Audrey Sawers assisted van der Geest for her fifth goal of the season and the first goal of the game. Down by one, the Tribe needed a scoring opportunity to come back. At 36 minutes 33 seconds, Snead drew her second penalty corner of the game for the Tribe on which Hopkins again had a shot on goal that was again saved by Park. Five minutes later, Snead drew another penalty corner on which Tribe senior forward Woodard Hooper’s original shot hit the post. Snead got the rebound and shot it again, though her shot went wide. With multiple close calls on scoring opportunities for the Tribe, the Leopards took advantage of the Tribe’s weakened morale. At 44 minutes 11 seconds, Steps drew a penalty corner on which she scored her third goal of the season, assisted by van der Geest. The period ended with the Tribe trailing by two, and their chances of a win grew slimmer as time ticked down.
Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Snead drew her fourth penalty corner of the game for the Tribe. On this corner, the College began the comeback it needed when senior midfielder Cassidy Goodwin was assisted by senior midfielder Christie van de Kamp to score her sixth goal of the season and the Tribe’s first goal of the game. Now 2-1, the Tribe came out stronger than ever. With five shots on goal in the eight minutes following the goal, the Tribe was desperate to score an equalizer before the game ended. Then, with three minutes left in the game, Tribe freshman midfielder Grace Cornbrooks assisted senior forward Cata Days for her first goal of the season. Regular time ended 2-2, and the Tribe and the Leopards went into a sudden death overtime.
In overtime, the College came out powerful, with Goodwin having a shot on goal just two minutes into the period. On this attempt, Goodwin shot past Park to score the game winner for the Tribe. The game ended with an overtime victory, the Leopards falling to the Tribe 3-2.
Ultimately, the College prevailed, despite the fact that the Leopards came into the game with a 6-1 record at home. The Tribe is now on a six-game winning streak. Going into the next match, the Tribe will try to keep this win streak alive when it plays Louisville Oct. 24 at Busch Field in Williamsburg at 6 p.m.