The William Smith College lacrosse team won their fourth straight Liberty League regular season title and earned the right to host the conference tournament. The Herons will face No. 4 seed Skidmore Saturday, May 4, in the semifinals at 11:30 a.m. The second semifinal will feature No. 2 Ithaca and No. 3 Clarkson at 2:30 p.m.
 
The advancing teams will meet in the championship on Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m., with the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on the line. All three games will be played on Boswell Field at David J Urick Stadium at the Carid Center for Sports and Recreation.
 
The Herons are ranked No. 14 in the nation and are three-time defending Liberty League Champions. William Smith is riding a 13-game win streak and brings a 15-2 overall record into tournament play. The Herons have played strong defensively all year, allowing a league low 6.41 goals per game. William Smith ranks 13th in the nation in scoring defense. Sophomore Ellie Burns leads the team with 50 goals and 61 points. Junior Rachel Slagle leads the team with 23 assists. Sophomore Mekayla Montgomery leads the team with 52 ground balls, 39 caused turnovers and 80 draws. Sophomore Olivia Hofmann is 9-0 in goal. She has a league leading .568 save percentage and a 5.58 goals against average.
 
The Thoroughbreds are 12-5 this season. Skidmore defeated No. 5 Vassar 24-19 Tuesday to earn a spot in the semifinals. Cas Szwajkowski leads the team and the Liberty League with 86 goals and 94 points. She is seventh in the nation in goals and 11th in goals per game. Szwajkowski is second on the team with 95 draws. Natalie LaBeau and Shelby Boland share the team lead with 16 assists each. LaBeau also leads the team with 25 caused turnovers. Emily Hirsch has won 99 draws and Caroline Kenlon has a team best 67 ground balls. Kenlon has played a majority of the minutes in goal. She is 10-5 with a 12.94 GAA and a .424 save percentage.
 
William Smith and Skidmore met last Saturday, April 27, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The Herons earned a 17-5 win.
 
Ithaca, which is ranked No. 21 in the latest IWLCA Division III poll, is 12-5 this season. The Bombers won their last two games to close out the regular season. Bailey Herr leads the team with 45 goals and 80 points. Allie Panara has a team best 38 assists. Molly Nodiff leads Ithaca with 43 goals and 28 caused turnovers. Reid Simoncini has won a Liberty League best 102 draws. Mackenzie Schade has played a majority of the minutes in goal. She is 12-5 with a .394 save percentage and a 10.91 GAA.
 
Clarkson is 12-6 overall and have won their last seven games. The Golden Knights advanced to the semifinals with a 13-11 come from behind victory over Rensselaer Tuesday afternoon. Sydney Roderick leads the team with 45 assists and 76 points. Aubrey Borgesi has 45 goals this season. Abby Collis leads the team with 34 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. Jaid Baytos has won 66 draws. Samantha Gladd has played a majority of the minutes in goal. She is 9-5 with a .443 save percentage and an 11.14 GAA.
 
The Bombers and Golden Knights played back on April 6. Ithaca earned a 24-16 victory.
 
Fans unable to make it to this weekend's games can follow the action with Live Stats and All-Access Video.