Box Score 
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Sophomore Arialle Hess
(Allentown, Pa.) scored a pair of goals and Virginia
Commonwealth University clinched its first Colonial Athletic
Association Tournament bid since 2003 with a 4-1 victory over
William & Mary Sunday at Busch Field.
VCU improves to 13-5 overall and 5-2 in the Colonial Athletic
Association with the victory and maintained their hold on third
place in the CAA. The Rams already held a tiebreaker over James
Madison, by virtue of their victory over the Dukes earlier this
season. James Madison lost to Old Dominion Sunday, 4-1. The Dukes
will battle Northeastern for the fourth and final spot in the CAA
Tournament.
"I am thrilled," VCU Head Coach Kelly
McQuade, in her fourth season, said. "I've
been talking about it all year. Our seniors, Marle and Flore van
Dessel really deserve it. It's so important for us to
continue this. I'm so proud for those girls to be getting the
recognition they deserve."
The Rams' matched their second-most victories in a single
season with Sunday's win. VCU also won 13 games in 1990 and
set a school record with 16 in 1992. William & Mary is 4-13
overall and 2-5 in league action.
Hess, a transfer from Temple University, booked her second two-goal
performance of the season. She tapped in a rebound in the
18th minute to stake the Rams to a 1-0 lead. She added a
late score in the 68th minute when she cleaned up a
scrum in from of the cage. Hess has six goals this year.
Senior
Marle van Dessel (Oisterwijk, Netherlands)
helped VCU break open a 1-1 game when she scored on a corner in the
47
th minute. Freshman
Emilie Soares (Santa
Clara, Calif.) provided a little breathing room with her
goal six minutes later off a feed from sophomore
Kelsey
Scherer (Chesapeake, Va.).
Despite a 12-0 advantage in shots in the first half, the Rams only
managed a single goal. However, behind a 10-shot attack in the
second period, VCU broke through to earn the victory.
The match was a physical battle and saw five green and yellow cards
issued. At one point, the Rams had to overcome a two-player
disadvantage.
"It was an exciting game," McQuade said. "We put
together a hard fight. Even when we were two players down at one
point we were able to keep up our momentum."
The victory was also McQuade's first over her alma mater and
mentor, Peel Hawthorne, in four tries.
The Rams outshot William & Mary, 22-5, in the match and owned a
5-3 edge in penalty corners.
VCU will wrap up its regular-season schedule and attempt to lock
down the No. 3 seed in the CAA when it hosts Northeastern on
Friday, Oct. 29 at 4 p.m. at Cary Street Field.
