Tribe Drop Blue Hens in Women’s Lax

W&M's Watkins and Dalon Record Four Goals

04/18/04 3:29PM

WILLIAMSBURG, VA - William and Mary’s 16th-ranked women’s lacrosse team used a big first half of scoring and four-goal efforts from Morgan Watkins (Fort Washington, PA) and Colleen Dalon (Moorestown, NJ) to drop Colonial Athletics Association rival Delaware this afternoon on the Williamsburg campus.

With a blazing sun pushing the mercury into the 80’s, the College’s offense opened the game as hot as the artificial turf on Busch Field. Using an overwhelming shot advantage (22-5), William and Mary (8-6, 4-2) scored a season-high 11 times in the first 30 minutes of play. Four different players scored five times for the College in the opening 18 minutes, including two scores from Dalon, whose second goal with 13:37 remaining staked W&M to a 5-1 lead. After Delaware (4-10, 3-3) scored a minute later to put the game at 5-2, the Tribe really caught fire and ended the last 11 minutes of the half with six-straight scores. Watkins led the surge with a pair of goals, while four other players joined in on the scoring action, including sophomore Laura Nolan (Ruxton, MD), who scored her first goal of the season with 10:58 remaining. Senior returning first team all-conference performer Lauren Work (Henrietta, NY) put the finishing touches on the scoring spree, and half, when she hammered home a free position shot with just 19 clicks left in the half. The two teams went to the half with the Tribe holding a commanding 11-2 lead.

Work expanded the Tribe’s lead to a seemingly insurmountable 12-2 by scoring on an unassisted success just 1:10 into the final stanza. But the Blue Hens refused to go quietly, and rallied to score six of the game’s next seven goals. Becky Zane started the Delaware run with an assist from Shannon Kron with 28:15 remaining and Jenny Diana ended the five-goal run with a pair of scores, just over a minute apart at 21:52 and 21:44, respectively. Watkins finally stemmed the tide by finishing a free position attempt at 14:46, but the Hens quickly answered with a score from Megan Hager to put the game at 13-8 with just over 13 minutes remaining. Despite the spirited play from Delaware, this was the be the Tribe’s day, as it strung together three-straight goals over the next minute and a half to effectively put the game out of reach. Senior attacker Kelly McQuade (Doylestown, PA) started the decisive run with a success off a helper from Dalon. Senior midfielder Nicole Lewis (Bel Air, MD) laid a beautiful assist on the stick of Work, which her classmate deposited top shelf for the second goal. Dalon finished the trifecta with a score off an 8-meter shot that put the Tribe out in front 16-8 with just 6:40 remaining. While Delaware did manage to score another pair of goals, Dalon and sophomore Morgan Lang (Westfield, NJ) answered each, with Lang scoring the Tribe’s 18th, and final, goal with 28 seconds remaining.

Tribe sophomore keeper Debby Petracca (Manhasset, NY) stayed sharp, despite the heat, recording 10 saves on the af-ternoon. Junior Becca Hall (Ft. Belvoir, VA) was the team’s defensive stalwart, as she recorded four ground balls and caused three turnovers.

McQuade added a pair of goals and three ground balls on the game, while Lang finished with three points (two goals, assist), four ground balls, three draws and one caused turnover. In addition to the four goals, Dalon also recorded an assist and a team-high four draw controls.

The next action for the College will also be its last home and regular season conference game of the season as it will play host to the Old Dominion Monarchs on Wednesday, April 21st, at 7:00 p.m. on Busch Field Turf.

Box Score