The No. 16 William Smith College lacrosse team dropped a non-league game 12-8 to No. 3 Salisbury at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., today. The Herons are now 3-3 overall, while the Sea Gulls improve to 7-0 this season.
 
Senior Melissa Moore led William Smith with three points on two goals and an assist. She also won five draws and had a ground ball. Senior Ali Burns added two goals, two ground balls and a caused turnover. Junior Bizzer Gahagan contributed a goal, two ground balls and a caused turnover. In her first collegiate start, first-year Jules Kennedy made a season-high 12 saves in goal for the Herons.
 
Emma Skoglund led Salisbury with three goals. Alissa Talbert added three assists and shared a game-high with four ground balls. Holly Bowers also scooped up four ground balls. Allie Hynson won a game-high six draws. Gabrielle Mongno, Courtney Fegan, and Gianna Demato each logged two goals. Lindsey Wagner, Emily McQuay and Dana King notched a goal and an assist. Gianna Falcone made nine saves in goal for the Sea Gulls.
 
The Herons got the first goal of the game on a free position tally by Gahagan. It was her fifth goal this year. However, Salisbury responded with the next three goals to build a 3-1 lead. With 20:32 on the clock. First-year Sadie Mapstone found the back of the net on a bouncing free position shot. It was her sixth goal this season. The Sea Gulls responded with another run, this time scoring the next four goals to go up 7-2 with 6:52 left in the first. With 4:24 on the clock, Moore placed her free position shot into the upper right hand corner of the goal to make it 7-3. Nineteen seconds later, Senior Sarah Benyo dunked her shot into the left side of the goal to get the Herons within three.  It was her ninth goal this year. However, Mongo struck again 50 seconds before halftime off an assist from Talbert to give Salisbury a 7-4 lead at the break.
 
Moore logged her second goal of the day and 13th of the season to start the second half and put William Smith within three once again. With 24:51 on the clock, Skoglund answered with her second of the day to make it 9-5. Moore set up sophomore Nicki Santora's second goal this spring to get the Herons back within three goals with 22:34 remaining, but the Sea Gulls responded once again. This time it was with a free position goal by McQuay. With 10:13 remaining, Burns scored on a low shot to make it 10-7. Skoglund added her third of the day off a feed from McQuay with 4:32 left, followed by a goal from Fegan off an assist from Murphy which extended Salisbury's lead to five with 2:52 remaining. Burns added her second of the day and ninth of the season on a free position with 2:14 on the clock.
 
Salisbury finished with a 32-21 advantage in shots and a 25-13 lead in ground balls. The Herons held a 13-9 edge in draws. William Smith went 8-for-17 on clears, while the Sea Gulls finished 12-of-15 clear attempts.
 
The Herons are back in action this weekend with two Liberty League games. William Smith hosts Rensselaer on Friday, March 23 at 4 p.m., before facing Union at 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, on Boswell Field.