FARMVILLE, Va. – Isabelle Martire scored five goals, and William & Mary used a strong first half to survive a late run from Longwood and cruise to a 13-5 win on the Lancers' home turf Saturday afternoon at Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
Martire spearheaded a high-powered William & Mary (3-3) attack that built an 8-1 lead in the first half, giving the Tribe a big-enough cushion to withstand a recharged Longwood (2-4) team after halftime. The Lancers strung together a 4-0 run to trim the deficit to four goals with 14:54 to play, but William & Mary countered that run with a 4-0 spurt of their own over the game's final 14 minutes.
 
"We had a slow start and gave up some goals that were the result of some lapses on both ends of the field," said Longwood head coach Elaine Jones. "We had some untimely turnovers in the midfield and had trouble controlling possession on the draw, and that gave William & Mary a lot of opportunities. You can't do that against a team like that and expect them not to take advantage."
 
William & Mary controlled possession for the majority of the game, putting together a dominant effort in the center circle with an 15-5 advantage on the draw. Tribe freshman Starr Howard played a starring role there, muscling away seven draw controls to add to a team-leading total that ranks second in the Colonial Athletic Association.
 
The Tribe converted six of those draw controls into first-possession goals, including their first three scores of the game.
 
"It's hard to climb out of a hole like that, but I was encouraged by the fight we showed in the second half," Jones said. "Our defense stepped up for a good bit of the second half, and Dani[elle Burke]made some big saves. I thought we took advantage of the opportunities we created, and we would have had a lot more if we took better care of the ball."
 
Longwood junior Kaitlin Luccarelli, the Big South's second-leading goal-scorer, added to her team-leading total with her fourth hat trick of the season. Two of those strikes came during a 4-0 Longwood run that cut William & Mary's lead to 9-5.
 
Taylor Blenckstone and Emma Johnson also scored for Longwood, while Johnson and junior Dana Joss added one assist each.
 
"Coming in to the second half, we were ready to go and came out firing," said Johnson, a team captain in her sophomore season. "We had some good looks on our attack, but I just think we have to have some more confidence in our players and move the ball a little quicker.
 
"The biggest difference in the second half was we played more as a team, and we played for each other as opposed to four ourselves. We had each other's backs, and that was a huge momentum-shifter for us. We lost that with a few calls that didn't go our way, but playing as a team and seeing us come together like that, it's amazing. We have to find that more and more as we work with a younger team."
 
William & Mary outshot Longwood 19-3 in the first half, but Longwood closed that gap to 17-9 in the second half while shoring up the draw control margin from 9-1 to 6-4. The Tribe opened the second half with a quick strike just 85 seconds after the first draw, but the Lancers responded with four consecutive goals from Johnson, Luccarelli and Blenckstone.
 
The Lancers forced William & Mary into three turnovers and got four saves from Burke during that run.
 
However, after Blenckstone's strike at 14:54 cut William & Mary's lead to 9-5, the Tribe opened up a 4-0 run for the duration of the game, including a pair of goals from Martire.
 
"Overall I thought we played really good lacrosse in spurts, but we struggled with our consistency," Jones said. "That's a common challenge for a young team like we have, but it's something we will continue to improve on. Our team continues to work and they're committed to improving as a group, and you definitely saw some flashes of how good we can be today."
 
The Lancers will now embark on a stretch of three consecutive road games, beginning this Wednesday, March 14, at Saint Francis in Loretto, Pa. Longwood will then take on Old Dominion on March 17 in Norfolk, followed by a March 20 trip to Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, Md.
 
Longwood's next home game will be on March 23 when East Carolina comes to Elizabeth Burger Jackson Field.
 
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