Sophomore Katherine Murray scored four goals to lead the fifth-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team to a 15-3 conference victory over No. 22/20 St. Lawrence University this afternoon in the Poole Family Sports Dome. The Herons improve to 7-0 on the season with a 2-0 mark in the Liberty League, while the Saints fall to 3-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.
Junior Allie McGinty led the Herons with five points on two goals and three assists this afternoon. Three different players recorded four points each for William Smith. Murray recorded four points on four goals while seniors Payton McMahon and Kaitlin Pellechia posted two goals and two assists each. Senior Maddie Montgomery added two goals and four draw controls in the win.
Senior Molly Davis, junior Chloe McGlynn and first-year Natalie Daniels all chipped in one goal apiece to lift the Herons over the Saints.
Davis led the defensive charge for the Herons, grabbing a game-leading four ground balls while also forcing three caused turnovers and winning a game-leading five draw controls. Murray chipped in three ground balls and forced three caused turnovers for the Herons. Sophomore Maura Smeader played all 60 minutes in net for the Herons, posting six saves and a .667 save percentage.
KEY STATS
- The Herons dominated the stat sheet, finishing the contest with a 40-13 advantage in shots, and a 32-9 edge in shots on goal.
- William Smith won the battle in the draw circle 15-7 and was 19-for-20 clearing the ball. St. Lawrence was 17-for-21 on its clear attempts.
- The Herons have won nine straight games against the Saints.
STRONG START
- The Herons jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter after five minutes of scoreless action.
- McGinty opened the scoring for William Smith at the 10 minute mark after Pellechia found her cutting in front of the net.
- Just over a minute later, McGinty would grab her first assist of the day as she found McMahon for the goal.
- With just under six minutes to play in the first quarter, Murray converted a free position shot to put the Herons up by three.
- William Smith came out firing in the second quarter as Pellechia netted back-to-back goals to extend the lead to five.
- With under eight minutes in the half, Daniels showcased her speed, blowing by the Saints defense and slipping one past Raelynn Bovenzi.
- Less than two minutes later, McGinty found McMahon again to give the Herons a 7-0 leading going into the half.
EXTENDING THE LEAD
- Murray opened up the scoring in the second half, posting back-to-back goals within the first minute of the half to give the Herons a 9-0 lead.
- The Saints responded just over a minute later as Jacqui Cloutier converted a free position shot to get St. Lawrence on the board.
- Less than a minute later, Davis would be awarded a free position shot for the Herons. She would convert, giving William Smith a 10-1 lead.
- With seven minutes remaining in the third, Montgomery fired off a shot that beat Bovenzi for her first goal of the game.
- St. Lawrence’s Charlotte Powell would grab one back for the Saints with 1:23 left in the third quarter.
- Montgomery opened up the scoring within 30 seconds of the fourth quarter to register her second of the day and 23rd of the season.
- McGinty would convert a free position shot four minutes later to extend William Smith’s lead to 11.
- At 8:27 left in the game, Murray notched her season-best fourth goal of the game.
- Susan Hartgers slipped one past Smeader with 3:50 left in the contest to cut the Saints deficit back to 11.
- With 2:22 remaining in the game, Pelelchia found a wide open McGlynn to give the Herons a 15-3 advantage to secure William Smith’s second straight conference victory.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Wednesday, March 29, when it heads to Rochester, N.Y, to take on St. John Fisher University in a nonconference matchup. First draw between the Herons and the Cardinals is set for 4 p.m. at Growney Stadium.
