LEXINGTON, Va. --- The Washington and Lee women's lacrosse team won its 13th consecutive game and tied the school record for wins in a season with an 8-2 victory over Mary Washington in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at Watt Field.
The Generals improved to 17-1 on the season, tying the 2014 and 2008 teams for the most wins in school history. The 13-game winning streak is tied for the second-longest in program history, trailing only a 15-game streak in 2003.
On Sunday, W&L took a 1-0 lead just 50 seconds into the game on an unassisted goal by sophomore midfielder Cordelia Peters (Larkspur, Calif. / Hotchkiss), but the Eagles (14-6) responded with two straight tallies, one each from first-year midfielder Paige Haskins and junior attacker Holly Hudson, to take a 2-1 lead with 23:27 left in the first half.
The Blue & White then controlled play from that point on, holding UMW to just eight shots and without a goal for the last 53:27 of the game.
On the offensive end, the Generals knotted the score at 2-2 with 21:34 left in the first half on an unassisted goal by senior attacker Hayley Soutter (McLean, Va. / Langley) and took the lead just 1:28 later on an unassisted tally by junior attacker Jess Castelo (Red Bank, N.J. / Lawrenceville).
Soutter scored her second goal of the first half unassisted at the 12:26 mark and the Generals carried a 4-2 lead into the intermission.
Castelo gave W&L a three-goal lead (5-2) just 2:53 into the second half with an unassisted score and sophomore midfielder Haley Tucker (Manakin-Sabot, Va. / St. Catherine's) made it 6-2 with a free position goal at 20:38. Tucker scored again at 12:41 off a feed from senior attacker Sara Holland (Houston, Texas / M.B. Lamar) and senior midfielder Olivia Sisson (Great Falls, Va. / Langley) capped the scoring with a goal off an assist from Soutter with only 29 seconds remaining.
For the game, the Generals held an 18-10 edge in shots and a 13-10 advantage in ground balls.
Soutter led the way with two goals and one assist, while Castelo and Tucker had two goals apiece. Sisson boasted a game-high five draw controls to go with her goal. First-year Elliot Gilbert (Bedford, N.Y. / Deerfield Academy) was tremendous in net where she stopped six shots, all in the second half. She also caused two turnovers and picked up four ground balls in 60 minutes of action.
Sophomore Hanna Ashby played all 60 minutes for the Eagles, totaling five saves.
Washington and Lee will find out on Sunday evening where it will play the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight contests. W&L will face Catholic in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. The Cardinals defeated Washington & Jefferson by a score of 20-1 in the second round. W&L and CUA met back on March 18 in Washington, D.C., with the Generals claiming an 18-3 win.
--- This release is courtesy of the Washington and Lee University sports information department. ---
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