Scouting William & Mary

William & Mary enters the Saturday game at 1-4 on the year, but has faced more ACC teams than the Hokies so far this season. The Tribe opened the year against Duke and then hosted soon-to-be ACC member Lousiville. William & Mary picked up its only win of the year, topping Coastal Carolina 12-8 at home. The Tribe is on antoher two game skid after falling in its only road game so far at Maryland and dropping one earlier this week to Virginia, 22-9.

Jenna Dougherty leads the offense with seven goals and an assist, while Ellen Shaffrey has won 16 draws and adds six goals and an assist on offense.

Hannah Clarke has grabbed 12 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers so far for a team that allows 15.60 goals per game. The Tribe has used three different goalies this season, but Colleen Nofi has been the mainstay, making four starts and playing in all five games. She has a 1-3 record and has made 35 saves.

Hokie Notes

-- Against No. 6 Duke, the Hokie defense forced the Blue Devils into a season-high 18 turnovers with their average of 10 coming in the first half, also holding them to a season-low four first-half goals.

-- Entering the week, four Hokies rank among the top 30 in the nation in their respective categories. Junior Meg Bartley ranks the highest of the group, sitting at No. 12 in the country averaging 5.50 draws per game.

-- Redshirt senior Julia Heaps set a career high with five goals and seven points in the season opener at James Madison.

-- Junior Megan Will needs eight goals to break onto Tech’s all-time scoring list.

-- Redshirt senior Julia Heaps became the second Hokie on the 2014 roster to rank among the all-time best as her three assists against High Point broke her onto the list.

-- Two players (Bartley, Heaps) have scored in every game so far this season.

-- In this week’s polls, seven of Tech’s opponents are ranked nationally, with another receiving votes.

-- The Hokies return six starters from last season, including five of the team’s top seven scorers from a year ago.

-- Seniors Julia Heaps, Kelly Naslonski, Lindsay Roche and Becca Niles captain the Hokies this season.

-- Tech welcomes 10 freshmen this season, as well as two new assistant coaches.

Last Time Out

The Hokies were unable to bounce back in their first of two games on the Spring Break road swing, falling 17-3 at Delaware. The Blue Hens got out to a hot start, winning the opening draw and scoring right away. Their quick-moving attack allowed them to move through the Hokie defense with ease, working their way in for a close look or a clean pass to an open shooter.

Down 4-0 ten minutes into the game, Delaware native Meg Bartley finally got Tech on the board with back-to-back goals in a two minute span. Redshirt senior Julia Heaps added another goal, capitalizing on a Delaware turnover, but the Blue Hens took an 8-3 lead into the break and were able to completey shut the Hokies down in the second half.

The Nation’s Elite

Entering the week of play, four Hokies rank among the top players in the nation in their respective categories. Junior Meg Bartley boasts the highest ranking, sitting in 12th with a 5.50 draws average. Freshman Meagh Graham ranks 13th in the country averaging 3.33 ground balls per game, as well as 17th with 46 total saves this season. Rounding out the top 30 in points are redshirt senior Julia Heaps and junior Megan Will, who are tied for 28th with 24 points each.

Record Watch

Junior Meg Bartley has already broken into the all-time top 10, and ranks fourth with 148 career draws. She has also made her second notch on the single-seasons draw list, ranking second with 69 last year.

Redshirt senior Julia Heaps broke into the all-time assists list against High Point earlier this year. She currently ranks eighth all-time with 38.

Junior Megan Will’s 42 goals last season landed her on the single-season scoring list, ranking seventh. She is on pace to break into the all-time scoring list this season, needing just five more goals. She has scored 88 to date.