BY: GRACE LORCH
On Sunday, November 5th, Tribe Field Hockey won their second CAA title in five years. There was never a doubt that W&M could hit the milestone with the talent on the roster, but the team’s performance during the season didn’t always reflect their capabilities.
The Tribe’s overall record has towed the 0.500 line since September, making fans uncertain about the team’s playoff fate. The first nine matches of the season alternated between losses and wins, quickly revealing the team’s strengths and weaknesses.
Some of the early highlights include:
- A 2-1 upset against #12 Wake Forest on their home turf to mark the first win of the season
- A defensive block with 11 seconds left in the fourth period to secure a 3-2 conference win against Towson
- A 3-1 conference win against Delaware to avenge a 2022 loss (which started a subsequent 3-game losing streak to knock W&M out of CAA Championship contention)
#1 Maddie George and # 9 Maddie McGaughey displayed their best efforts to prevent Hofstra from scoring during their face-off on October 6th.
But for every proud moment, there was a disappointing one, like a shocking in-conference 0-1 loss to Hofstra. The team had not performed up to their offensive potential throughout the entire match, failing to convert any of 18 shots and nine penalty corners into goals. One fan even remarked, “Whatever play you’ve been saving, do it now.” However, the strong, consistent defense, mostly led by senior goalie Maddie George and senior midfielder Maddie McGaughey, kept Hofstra scoreless, pushing the game into shootouts. Hofstra Pride eventually beat out the team 4-2, tarnishing Tribe undefeated conference record.
A week later, Tribe faced another disappointing conference loss, this time in Philadelphia against Drexel.The defense took a hit in this particular game and allowed seven goals—the most from any team they had faced. The final score was 1-7, marking their worst loss of the season, which was previously held by #6 University of Virginia. The only silver lining of that game was that freshman forward Josie Mae Gruendel scored her first goal of the season, making her the only player in her class to record a goal.
But these disheartening losses were just necessary evils needed to ignite a winning streak. The team won their last two matches of the regular season against Queens University and University of Richmond, and they hadn’t lost any conference matches after Drexel. With a 4-2 CAA record, Tribe finished third in the conference to extend their season for the CAA championship tournament. Only problem was that Tribe had to face an all too-familiar opponent: the Drexel Dragons.
The pressure would be enough to make any other team choke, but not Tribe Field Hockey. All the players gave a great effort, but junior midfielder Pyper Friedman and Maddie George were the stars of the show. Friedman scored both of Tribe’s goals while George made an astounding 10 saves to prevent Drexel from putting even one goal on the scoreboard, a stark contrast to the last matchup. The win was perfect motivation going into the championship match against Monmouth.
The Tribe defeated Monmouth 3-2 during regular season play to clinch a spot in the CAA Championship, but Monmouth had earned the top spot in the conference for a reason. Tribe spent the first half of the match in a deficit, but graduate student midfielder Lauren Curran scored at the beginning of the third quarter to ease nerves. Fans got another scare when Monmouth scored less than 10 minutes later, but Curran came in clutch again to tie the game at 2-2 with five minutes left in the match. The clock ran out without another goal, forcing the match into overtime. After the first overtime, neither team had scored and tensions were as high as the stakes. If the Tribe didn’t get a goal in the next 10 minutes, they would enter a shootout. With the outcome of the Hofstra match, they couldn’t take that risk. However, what they did do was finally use the play they had been saving up since their Hofstra match.
Four minutes into second overtime, Pyper Friedman passed the ball to none other than Lauren Curran, who scored the game-winning goal. It’s a play that was well worth the wait. The outcome was everything the team could’ve dreamed— a hat trick, an overtime upset against the conference leader, and most importantly, another championship trophy. Additionally, Curran was named Most Outstanding Player of the Championship. Such an exciting win would have made the perfect end to the season, but fortunately for fans, they’re not done playing yet.
Tribe successfully clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament and face Sacred Heart University in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Wednesday, November 8th at 2:00 PM. Watch the game live on ESPN+ to see the other fantastic plays Tribe Field Hockey has been saving up.
LET’S GO TRIBE!!
The William & Mary Sports Blog 