GENEVA, N.Y.- The 14th-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team outscored Skidmore 10-3 in the second half on its way to a 16-9 win in a Liberty League semifinal contest on Boswell Field at David J Urick Stadium this afternoon. The Herons have won 14 straight games and are now 16-2 overall this season.
 
Sophomore Kelsey Williams had a game-high six points in the win for William Smith. She scored a career-high five goals and added an assist. First-year Payton McMahon matched her career-high, recording five points on two goals and an assist. Junior Rachel Slagle and Nicki Santora each had hat tricks. Sophomore Susan Kowalski brought in a game-high four ground balls and sophomore Mekayla Montgomery won six draws. Sophomore Olivia Hofmann made nine saves in goal.
 
Cas Szwajkowski had four goals for Skidmore (12-6). Gianna Muscari and Caroline Kenlon each had three ground balls. Emily Hirsch had two goals and won six draws for the Thoroughbreds. Kenlon made eight saves in the Skidmore goal.
 
The Thoroughbreds rattled off the game's first three goals, taking a 3-0 lead with 16:22 left in the first half. Hirsch opened the scoring with her 30th goal of the season. She collected a pass from Amanda Orvis and fired a shot into the back of the net. Five minutes later, Szwajkowski pocketed an unassisted goal for her 87th strike of the season. Orvis gave Skidmore a three-goal lead with her 26th tally of the season. Williams ended the Skidmore run with her first goal of the game. She took a feed from Slagle and bounced a shot into the back of the net for her 15th goal of the season. The Thoroughbreds regained a three-goal lead one minute later on Hirsch's second goal of the game. With 11:53 remaining in the half, sophomore Ellie Burns collected her team leading 51st goal of the season. Grace Connerty made it 5-2 with her 21st goal of the season.  William Smith tied the game at five with three straight goals. Santora scored a pair of goals within a minute and then sophomore Anna Murphy took a feed from McMahon and buried a shot in the back of the net. Szwajkowski's 88th goal of the season gave Skidmore its final lead of the day with 3:09 left in the first half. Two minutes later, McMahon tied the game at six with her 24th tally of the season.
 
William Smith extended its run to four goals, scoring three times in the first seven minutes of the second half. Just over 90 seconds into the half, Slagle collected a pass from junior Rachel Piercey on the doorstep and buried a shot behind Kenlon. With 25:18 left in regulation, Santora completed her hat trick with a woman-up goal. Her 28th goal of the season was assisted by Burns. Murphy's 27th goal of the season gave the Herons a 9-6 lead. McMahon notched an assist on the goal. Shelby Boland pocketed her 15th goal of the season to bring the Thoroughbreds within two goals. Williams scored the next two goals to put the game out of reach. Her 16th goal of the season was assisted by Murphy and her 17th goal of the season completed her hat trick. Szwajkowski scored her 89th goal of the season with 17:54 remaining in regulation. Her third goal of the game was unassisted. Slagle answered 29 seconds later off a feed from Payton McMahon. It was her 16th goal of the season. Just under a minute later, McMahon bounced a shot past Kenlon for her 25th tally of the season. Williams collected her fourth goal of the game with 15:55 remaining in regulation. It was her third consecutive game with four goals. Slagle and Williams added goals 90 seconds apart to give William Smith a 16-8 lead. Szwajkowski rounded out the scoring with 2:55 remaining in regulation. The unassisted goal was her 90th of the season.
 
William Smith finished the game with a 35-22 edge in shots. The Thoroughbreds held a 17-14 edge in ground balls. The Herons were 19-of-21 clearing the ball and the Thoroughbreds were 14-of-20.
 
William Smith will be back in action tomorrow afternoon as they go for their fourth consecutive Liberty League tournament title. The Herons will take on Ithaca, which beat Clarkson 25-12 in the other semifinal. Opening draw is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Boswell Field.