Tribe To Host No. 3 Virginia

03/11/08 5:00PM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary women’s lacrosse team returns home Wednesday to host Virginia, ranked third in the latest IWLCA Top 20 poll. The opening draw is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Albert-Daly Field. W&M is looking to snap a four-game losing streak, following an 18-12 loss at then 19th-ranked Penn State on Sunday. Virginia is coming off a 13-7 victory against the same Penn State team on Friday. The Cavaliers also dropped an 8-5 decision at then fifth-ranked Maryland last week.

Welcome Back
After playing three consecutive games on the road, the Tribe finally returns to the home turf of Albert-Daly Field on Wednesday night to host nationally-ranked Virginia. W&M has not played at home since Feb. 24, when the Tribe battled third-ranked Duke.

Tribe Faces Third Ranked Opponent
The Cavaliers are the third ranked opponent the Tribe will face already this season. W&M dropped a tough 18-8 decision to third-ranked Duke back on Feb. 24 at Albert-Daly. This past Sunday, the Tribe fell at then 19th-ranked Penn State, 18-12. Virginia slipped one spot to No. 3 in this week’s IWLCA poll, following the loss to Maryland last week. The Terps moved up from No. 5 to the second spot in this week’s poll. Following Wednesday’s game, the Tribe has four remaining games against opponents either ranked, or receiving votes, in this week’s poll, including Georgetown (No. 9), Stanford (No. 11), George Mason (No. 17) and James Madison (RV).

The Virginia Series
Virginia leads the all-time series 24-17-1. W&M won eight of the first nine meetings between the schools, but Virginia has had the upper hand in recent years, winning 11 of the last 12 meetings dating back to 1996, including six-straight. The last Tribe victory in the series came in the 2001 season-opener, a 13-10 victory in Williamsburg. W&M is 2-4 in the last six meetings in Williamsburg.

The teams have met at least once every season since 1975, making this one of the oldest lacrosse series in the South. The College and UVA are two of only seven schools currently playing at the Division I level that have played in over 500 games. The two schools are also two of only nine schools in Division I that have over 300 wins.

The Last Meeting
Despite a valiant defensive effort and outstanding outing by freshman goalkeeper Sara Beckstead, the Tribe fell at Virginia, 12-3, last season. W&M stuck around behind 15 saves from its rookie netminder, and the Tribe defense kept the powerful Cavalier attack at bay for most of the night after a rough opening 10 minutes. Virginia won its sixth-straight in the series with Brittany Kalkstein and Kate Breslin combining for seven goals. The Cavaliers limited the Tribe to just seven shots in the game, including only three in the final period. Jaime Sellers, Clare Dennis and Katie Rees scored the only Tribe goals, and Kristen Wong picked up four ground balls.

Scouting The Cavaliers
Junior Ashley McCulloch leads the Virginia attack with 21 points, dishing out a team-high 13 assists. Brittany Kalkstein leads the team with 12 goals, 15 draw controls and 12 ground balls. Senior Megan O’Malley has 10 goals and senior Alice Hughey has a team-high seven caused turnovers.

In goal, senior Kendall McBrearty is letting in 7.20 goals per game, while stopping .521 percent of shots faced. She leads the ACC in both categories, and is second in saves per game.

Penn State Recap
Jessi Leib scored four goals and added a pair of assists, and Mary LeNoir scored two of her three goals in a big first half to help 19th-ranked Penn State defeat William and Mary, 18-12, Sunday afternoon. The Lions limited the Tribe to just five shots in the first half, using an 8-3 advantage in draw controls and 12-4 edge in ground balls, and built an 8-2 lead. Jaime Sellers had four points on three goals and an assist for W&M, and freshman Grace Golden scored three goals. Sara Beckstead recorded six saves in the first half.

Sellers’ Scoring
After scoring a career-high 35 goals last season and gaining Second-Team All-CAA honors, senior midfielder Jaime Sellers is off to an even more impressive start to the 2008 season with eye-catching offensive numbers. Sellers leads the Tribe and is currently fifth in NCAA Division I with 29 total points through the Tribe’s first six games. Sellers is averaging 4.33 goals per game, which leads the CAA is also fifth nationally. The senior has scored three or more goals in every game this season and has now scored at least one goal in 22 consecutive games, dating back to the start of the 2007 season. Sellers’ total of 26 goals is just nine shy of her entire 16-game total from last season. Additionally, Sellers leads the Tribe with 20 draw controls.

Young Guns Power Offense
Much of the attack’s early season proficiency can be traced to the staggering contributions of the Tribe’s rookie class, particularly the terrific trio of Maggie Anderson, Grace Golden and Ashley Holofcener. The three alone have combined for 51 points in six games. Anderson is second only to Sellers in the CAA and ranks 17th nationally with 20 points on 16 goals and four assists. Golden is fourth in the CAA with 16 points, and Holofcener ranks fifth in the league with 15 points. Holofcener’s six assists lead the team, and the rookie also leads the squad from attack position with 11 caused turnovers. Golden leads the Tribe with 17 ground balls. Offensively, the trio has accounted for 48% of the team’s entire goal total (80) and 49% of its point total (104).

Up Next
Following tonight’s game with Virginia, the Tribe is back on the road for its next contest, visiting Georgetown next Wednesday (3/19). The opening draw is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the nation’s capital.