Saturday, April 27, William and Mary lacrosse (4-13, 0-8 CAA) came up just short in its regular season finale, losing 14-13 in overtime to Campbell (4-13, 1-7 CAA) at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek, N.C.
Entering Saturday’s matchup looking to secure its first interconference win of the season, the Tribe suffered an untimely defensive collapse late in the fourth quarter. This allowed the Camels to claw back and tie the game with just over two minutes left in regulation.
The Green and Gold got off to a cold start in the first quarter, conceding the first goal to Campbell junior midfielder Hailey Kohlmann, her seventh of the season. After a Camel foul less than a minute later, sophomore midfielder Maresa Moyer tied the game up for the Green and Gold, converting on a free-position shot for her 16th goal of 2024.
Fouls continued to be a problem for Campbell throughout the game, racking up eight yellow cards in Saturday’s game alone.
For the next five minutes of the first quarter, both sides’ offenses struggled to get back on the board. With seven minutes, 55 seconds left in the first, a William and Mary foul gave Camel redshirt senior attacker Joslin Hanbury a free position shot of her own, which she connected on for her 29th goal of the season. Just over a minute later, Hanbury struck again, this time courtesy of an assist from sophomore midfielder Delaney Nicolaus. After two missed Tribe shots, fifth-year attacker Ally Heath tacked on another goal for the Camels, increasing Campbell’s lead to 4-1 with just under five minutes left in the first.
After a Green and Gold timeout, William and Mary’s offense came back to life. Junior midfielder Paige Gilbert connected on her first goal of the game, cutting the Camel lead to two. Thirty seconds later, senior attacker Ellie Shea scored a free position goal of her own, and just 18 seconds after that, Gilbert tied the game 4-4. Then, to put the cherry on top of the Tribe’s early comeback, junior midfielder Serena Jacobs scored the fifth Green and Gold goal of the quarter off an assist from Shea. Hanbury equalized the score at 5-5 with her second goal of the game, but as the first quarter came to a close, both teams found themselves tied up in a back-and-forth season finale matchup.
The second quarter was dead even, like the first. William and Mary struck first, with goals coming from junior attacker Sophia Chiodo Ortiz and Gilbert to give the Tribe a 7-5 lead. With just under eight minutes left in the half, however, Campbell freshman midfielder Emily Wilson connected on a free position shot following another Tribe foul. Two minutes later, Heath found the back of the net for her second goal of the game, tying the score back at 7-7.
Regardless of its foul trouble, William and Mary continued applying pressure offensively as the first half came to a close. After two Tribe misses, Moyer connected on her second goal of the game, giving the visiting Tribe an 8-7 lead with just under three minutes left in the half. With 25 seconds remaining, Campbell fifth-year midfielder Shania Roehrich evened the game back up with her 11th goal of the season, sending both teams into halftime knotted at 8-8.
In the third quarter, both teams struggled to secure a lead over the other. Heath started the second half scoring with a quick goal assisted by freshman attacker Caroline Laur, Heath’s 31st score of the season. Less than 30 seconds later, William and Mary responded with a goal of its own, this time courtesy of freshman attacker Piper Kienzle. Three minutes later, another Chiodo Ortiz goal secured a 10-9 Green and Gold lead, which only lasted 29 seconds. Wilson scored her second goal of the game for the Camels, tying things back up at 10-10. To take the lead back, Gilbert found the back of the net for her fourth goal of the game, following a Camel yellow card. The game settled down for a few minutes, but with 1:21 left in the third, Wilson struck again, evening the score to 11-11.
Unsurprising to everyone in attendance at Barker-Lane Stadium, the fourth quarter saw 15 more minutes of back-and-forth action. Sophomore midfielder Kate Draddy started the scoring for the Tribe in the fourth, connecting on her 16th goal of the season with 11:51 left in regulation. Less than a minute later, Gilbert knocked down her fifth goal of the game, her 34th in 2024.
Now up two, the Tribe hoped to lock down the Camels and finish its season on a high note on the road. The Camels had other plans, however. With just under six minutes left in regulation, Roehrich scored her second goal of the game, cutting the Green and Gold lead to one. Three minutes later, after an unfortunate William and Mary turnover, Campbell sophomore attacker McKenna Duncan tied the game at 13-13, her 14th goal of the season. After multiple missed Green and Gold shots and fouls from both sides, William and Mary and Campbell finished the 60th minute tied at 13-13.
With just six minutes left to earn its first Coastal Athletic Association win of 2024, William and Mary’s road-win dream ended before a single minute could pass in overtime. Just 52 seconds into the period, Heath drilled a game winner, ending the Green and Gold’s regular season in a heartbreaking fashion.
With the win, Campbell secured its first CAA victory of the season, cementing the Green and Gold dead-last of conference standings.
Although the Green and Gold missed the four-team CAA Championship, 2024’s up-and-down season gives Tribe fans hope that next year’s team will come back to Williamsburg ready to improve and compete for a shot at the conference title.