Tribe Hands No. 9 George Mason 13-8 Setback

Box Score

04/06/08 4:16PM

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The mix was just right for the William and Mary women’s lacrosse team on Sunday afternoon, as the squad blended standout play from a stellar freshman class and the steady hand of key upper-classmen to concoct a resounding 13-8 upset of ninth-ranked George Mason University in Williamsburg.

The Tribe, which improved to 2-0 in Colonial Athletic Association play (6-6 overall), has now ripped off four-straight wins (three of which have come against ranked opponents). One has to go back to the 2001 season to find the last time W&M started its league schedule off with a pair of wins, while the four-game tear is the squad’s longest since 2000. The loss snapped what was a school-record seven game-winning streak for GMU and dropped the Patriots’ record to 8-2 (1-1 in CAA).

While the Tribe held slight edges in shots (33-29) and ground balls (27-21), the game was decided on the College’s ability to create timely turnovers. W&M caused 11 turnovers on the game (led by a season-high three by freshman mid-fielder Maggie Anderson (Richmond, Va.) and George Mason finished with 19 total (to 11 for the College).

The game was a showcase of young talent for William and Mary, as Anderson and her classmates put on a quite a show for the home crowd. Anderson played her most complete game of her young career, as she recorded team-highs in goals (four), ground balls (five) and caused turnovers (three). Grace Golden (Manhasset, N.Y) and Ashley Holofcener (Reisterstown, Md.) contributed three and four points, respectively, and keeper Emily Geary (Wayne, Pa.) was her usual solid self in the nets (11 saves). Emma Starnes (Richmond, Va.) was equally impressive in the Tribe’s defense, as she tied Anderson for the game high in ground balls (five) and contributed a caused turnover to the cause.

But the afternoon’s glory wasn’t reserved strictly to the newcomers, as senior midfielder Jaime Sellers (Kennebunk, Maine) continued to build on her All-American resume by scoring three times and collecting a ground ball and caused turnover. Sellers has now scored in all 12 of the Tribe’s games on the season and has had three, or more goals, in 11 contests. She entered the game as the CAA leading scorer and currently has 49 points on the season (45 goals). With at least five games remaining, Sellers is already tied for seventh on the Tribe’s all-time single season goals listing. Fellow senior Ashley Bolton (Narbeth, Pa.) teamed with Starnes and junior Kate Lawlor (Philadelphia, Pa.) to turn in a disciplined and efficient team-defensive effort. Steady junior Julia Martin (Woodside, Ca.) was a spark-plug on the offensive end, as she recorded a career-high three-point performance, with a pair of goals and an assist.

The Patriots’ Laura King, who ended the game with four scores and a game-high five draws, started the scoring off just 27 seconds after the opening draw. But, the 1-0 lead did not last long, as Martin broke the seal for the College at 28:09, scoring on a slick wrap-around, coming from behind the cage and firing into the upper right angle. Minutes later, Golden made a clean pick of an attempted Mason pass in the midfield, charged into the attacking zone and distributed to Sellers who finished the possession in the back of the Mason cage at 25:26. The 2-1 lead was one the Tribe would not relinquish. Sellers was at it again, just over a minute later, when she finished a possession started by a key ground ball collected in the midfield by Anderson with her trademark attack on the cage from the high middle, staking the College to a 3-1 led. King pulled the Patriots within one at 21:07, taking a pretty feed from Megan Bartlett. The 3-2 deficit was a close as George Mason would get for the remainder of the game. The next five minutes saw the game bounce back-and-fourth through the midfield until Martin keyed the next scoring opportunity by firing a cross field pass to Golden, who raced to the right side of the cage and drew the defense, then dropped a perfect helper to an unmarked Anderson in front of the cage, which the freshman deftly finished giving the Tribe a 4-2 advantage (16:16). The ensuing 10 seconds put the momentum in the College’s corner, as Holofcener created a turnover in the midfield and fed a streaking Mary Zulty (Jar-rettsville, Md.) on the right side, who quickly spotted Martin crashing the net on the opposite side of the crease, hit her in stride and celebrated as Martin slashed the ball into the upper left, putting the game to 5-2 (at 16:06). Mason scored the game’s next goal (at 14:53) and would find the back of the net one more time in the first half, but each score was answered by the College, as Golden scored after a free position attempt (13:57) and Anderson rang the bell after a smooth feed from Holofcener at 10:17. Anderson scored her third goal of the first half at 3:45 and sent the teams to the half with the Tribe holding a commanding 8-4 lead.

The initial 20 minutes of the second half featured what could have been the finest all-around play from the College this season, as the squad held a determined George Mason attack scoreless and pieced together five consecutive goals to effectively put the game out of reach. Golden started the run by converting a free position shot and Holofcener ended the streak at 11:39, taking a hand-out from junior Clare Dennis (Catonsville, Md.), to put the Tribe in the driver’s seat, 13-4. George Mason refused to hang its head, despite the desperate circumstances, and put together a mini-rally of its own, as it scored the game’s final four goals. But, it was not enough on this afternoon, as Dennis claimed the draw after GMU’s eighth, and final goal (at 4:43) and the Tribe attack dominated the possession over the majority of the remainder of the clock.

The Tribe’s next action will come on the road, as it continues its conference play with a weekend road trip to Drexel and Hofstra on Friday and Sunday, respectively.