Friday, Nov. 1, William and Mary faced off against Colonial Athletic Association rival No. 14 Delaware at Rullo Stadium in Newark, Delaware. The Tribe (11-6, 4-1 CAA) were on an eight-game winning streak, coming off a double-overtime 2-1 victory over CAA rival Northeastern the previous Sunday. Unfortunately for the Tribe, its winning streak came to an end as the Blue Hens (13-3, 5-0 CAA) won in a 5-1 victory.
In the first period, the Blue Hens were dominant. Just two minutes into the game, Blue Hens forward Femke Strien had a shot that went wide. However, the Blue Hens were able to come back from this missed opportunity minutes later when Blue Hens midfielder Sophie Giezeman poked the ball past the goalie to score the first goal of the game. Two minutes later, the Blue Hens scored again, this time via a shot from right outside the cage by forward Lotte de Koning, assisted by Strien. Yet another chance came when the Blue Hens were awarded a penalty corner at 7 minutes, 48 seconds, though no score came from this thanks to the Tribe defense. The Tribe continued to slow the Blue Hens roll when a shot from Strien was saved by Tribe sophomore goalkeeper Kimi Jones. The powerful Strien was awarded a penalty stroke during this save, though her shot went wide. At this point the period became less intense, and no more penalty corners or shots on goal occurred. By the end of the period, the Blue Hens were ahead of the Tribe 2-0.
In the second quarter, the Tribe began to match the Blue Hens level of play more evenly. Five minutes into the quarter, Strien continued her impressive game when she shot on the goal, only to have the ball go high. Six minutes later, Tribe senior forward Annie Snead drew a penalty corner on which Tribe senior midfielder Cassidy Goodwin’s shot went wide. After a relatively uneventful quarter, the Tribe went into the half trailing the Blue Hens 2-0.
In the third period, the Blue Hens were able to come back stronger from the previous period. Eight minutes into the half, de Koning had a shot on goal that went wide. Two minutes later, Giezeman was awarded a penalty stroke on which she scored her fifth goal of the season and the Blue Hens third goal of the game. The Tribe regained possession of the ball and Tribe junior defender Haley Hopkins shot on goal, but her scoring attempt was blocked by Blue Hens goalkeeper Sydney Rhodes. The Tribe ended the period still unable to answer the Blue Hens, who were now leading 3-0.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Tribe needed to score to have any chance of a victory. Unfortunately for the Tribe, its chance of winning dwindled as the Blue Hens continued to score. Koning had a goal, assisted by Strien; her third goal of the season and the Blue Hens’ fourth goal of the game. Strien shot shortly after, but Tribe senior goalkeeper Morgan Connor saved this attempt. Ten seconds later, Koning shot on the goal, but the ball hit the post. After this attempt, Strien was able to gain possession of the rebound and score her 15th goal for season. Now up five unanswered goals, the Tribe’s chance of winning was slim. However, the Tribe was able to redeem themselves in the final minute of the game. Tribe senior midfielder Christie van de Kamp was awarded a penalty stroke on which she scored the Tribe’s first goal of the game and her eighth goal of the season. As the final buzzer sounded, the game ended with a Blue Hen victory 5-1.
This loss marked the end of the Tribe’s eight-game winning streak, along with it coming from a strong rival in their CAA conference. The Tribe is now looking to get back into their stride and rebound from this tough game. In the next match, the Tribe will try and regain their momentum when they play CAA rival Towson Nov. 3 in Towson, Maryland, at 1 p.m.
