The No. 13 William Smith College lacrosse team shut out Bard 18-0 in the Liberty League opener for both teams played today at Dietz Stadium in Kingston, N.Y. First-year Sadie Mapstone led the way with four goals and senior Sarah Benyo added two goals and two assists for four points.
 
It's the first time the Herons have shut out an opponent since topping Union 20-0 on April 13, 1991. William Smith improves to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in league play. It was Bard's first loss this season (2-1, 0-1).
 
Senior Ali Burns and senior Melissa Moore each logged a hat trick in the victory. First-year Ellie Burns picked up a game-high five ground balls and added a goal and an assist. First-year Shayla Meehan won a game-high four draws. First-year Anna Murphy scored twice, while first-year Rachel Yackel chipped in a goal and an assist. First-year Olivia Hofmann started in goal for William Smith and stopped the lone shot she faced. First-year Jules Kennedy came in for the second half but did not face a shot.
 
The Herons built an 11-0 lead in first half. William Smith scored on its first seven possessions of the game. Just 1:03 in after the Herons won the opening draw, Benyo started the scoring spree finding the back of the net on a bounce shot. Just under a minute later, Yackel bounced her free position shot just inside the left post. With 26:57 on the clock, Murphy scored off a feed from Ellie Burns. It was Murphy's third goal this season. Moore made it 4-0 just over a minute later. Her first of the day came off an assist from Benyo. With just over 25 minutes left in the first, junior Bizzer Gahagan set up Murphy's second goal of the day. Moore struck again with 22:28 on the clock, bounding her shot high into the top left corner to beat the Bard goalie. Benyo followed with her second of the day 16 seconds later.
 
With 18:53 left in the first, Mapstone extended the Heron lead to 8-0 after a pass from sophomore Katie Consoli. It was Consoli's first collegiate point and Mapstone's second goal this season. With 16:09 on the clock, Moore tallied her second hat trick of the season. Ali Burns closed out the opening half with back-to-back goals. Her first came on a free position and her second was an unassisted tally.
 
Just 43 seconds into the second half, Mapstone scored her second goal of the day. With 23:03 on the clock, Yackel earned a free position, but she dished to Ellie Burns who logged her fourth goal of the season to make it 13-0. Mapstone earned her first collegiate hat trick after a give-and-go with Benyo with 16:04 remaining. Burns registered her first hat trick of the season with 12:37 on the clock. It was her seventh goal this season and came off an assist from first-year Susan Kowalski. Mapstone made it 16-0 on a free position tally. She has five goals this year. With 6:06 left in the game, senior Bailey Ebby found the back of the net for the second goal of her Heron career. First-year Kelsey Williams produced her sixth goal of the season, this one on a free position, with 2:36 remaining for the final score.
 
Kaylynn Tran played the opening 57:51 in goal for Bard and made eight saves. Izabel Kickner came in for the final 2:09, but did not face a shot.
 
The Herons held a 28-6 advantage in shots, a 20-14 lead in ground balls and a 15-5 edge in draws. William Smith finished seven of nine clear attempts, while the Raptors were 2-for-15.
 
The Herons will be back in action on Monday, March 19, when they take on No. 5 Salisbury in a non-league game at 11 a.m., at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.