George Washington University Athletics
GW Lacrosse Opens Home Slate Saturday Against Yale
3/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
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March 11, 2016
| George Washington Colonials (1-4) vs. Yale Bulldogs (2-4) | |
| WHEN | Saturday, March 12 | 1:00 p.m. |
| WHERE | GW Lacrosse Field on the Mount Vernon Campus | 2100 Foxhall Rd NW | Directions |
| HOW | |
OPENING DRAW: The GW lacrosse team welcomes Yale to the GW Lacrosse Field on the Mount Vernon Campus on Saturday at 1 p.m. for its home opener.
WELCOME HOME: After five straight road games to start the season, the Colonials play their first of seven home contests on Saturday.
"We are so excited to finally open our season at home," said second-year head coach Tracy Coyne. "It will feel really great to play in front of our home crowd and feel the energy and support of our fans throughout the game."
LAST TIME OUT: The Colonials picked up their first win of the season with a 9-8 victory at Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday. Junior Bailey Forcier notched her first hat trick of the season and added an assist to match her career high with four points. Senior Gabbi Hull scored two goals, including the game-winner with 7:53 remaining, and senior Olivia Boudreau had a goal and two assists. GW scored the first five goals of the game in less than 10 minutes.
COACH COYNE'S TAKE: "Our first win of the season happened in a pretty thrilling way. The game went down to the wire and our mental toughness was evident throughout the game, but particularly in the last five minutes. We came out strong off the opening draw. Scoring early and often really gave us such a confidence boost. We had seven different players involved in scoring, which made us difficult to stop. Bailey played extremely well and was the true catalyst for the attack. She is a true competitor who thrives in pressure situations. Becca (Taub) also did an amazing job shutting down their top scoring threat. She and Ellie Glasgow both had huge defensive plays that shut down Mount St. Mary's attack and put us in a position to win the game."
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Ten different players have found the back of the net this season, led by Forcier's six goals and Hull's five. Forcier has also added three assists for a team-best nine points.
HELPING HAND: Boudreau had two assists against Mount St. Mary's to give her a team-high six on the year. She ranks seventh in the A-10 with 1.2 assists per game, and with 38 assists in her career she ranks 10th on GW's all-time list.
PICK ME UP: After picking up a career-high tying four ground balls at the Mount, Glasgow ranks third in the A-10 with 2.6 ground balls per game. She leads the Colonials with 13 ground balls on the year, just six shy of her total for the entire 2015 season.
SCOUTING YALE: The Bulldogs are 2-4 on the season and have dropped two in a row following a 13-7 loss at No. 10 Stony Brook on Tuesday. Tess McEvoy led Yale with three goals and an assist in that contest. She paces her team with 12 goals and 16 points on the season. Nicole Daniggelis leads the Ivy League and ranks sixth nationally with 6.17 draw controls per game, as she has won 37 draws through six games. Sydney Marks has played every minute in goal for the Bulldogs and boasts a 9.50 goals-against average and .477 save percentage. She ranks second in the Ivy League with 8.67 saves per game.
COACH COYNE'S TAKE: "We're expecting a very competitive game. Yale has a new coaching staff, so they're playing with lots of energy and enthusiasm as a result of that change. A key to victory will be our ability to gain possession off the draw. We have had a few stellar defensive performances this season. If we see that kind of play again on Saturday, it will put us in a great position to win the game."
SERIES HISTORY: GW and Yale met for the first time last season, with the Colonials taking a 13-5 win at the GW Lacrosse Field. -- their first victory under Coach Coyne. Boudreau scored twice and added an assist, three ground balls and two caused turnovers in the game.
