LANCASTER, Pa. —The 16th-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team knocked off Meredith 19-3 in a NCAA tournament game played on Shadek Field this afternoon. Nine different players scored a goal for the Herons as they improved to 9-4 on the season.
 
William Smith advances to the second round of the NCAA tournament where it will face No. 1 Franklin and Marshall on Sunday, May 9. Opening draw is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
The Herons were led offensively by sophomore Maddie Montgomery. The Liberty League Rookie of the Year finished the contest with a game-high seven points on five goals and and two assists. Seniors Ellie Burns and Anna Murphy each finished the game with three goals and an assist. Sophomore Molly Davis added a hat trick of her own. Montgomery recorded a game-high five draw controls and Davis was right behind her with four. Seniors Mekayla Montgomery and Ellen Arena had a game-high two caused turnovers. Montgomery also had a game-high seven ground balls. First-year Maddie Bamberger played all 60 minutes in net, earning the victory.
 
The Herons defensive unit limited the Avenging Angels (11-4) to a season-low three goals. Meredith came into the game averaging 19.29 goals per game. Lilia Cruz, Mackenzie Bianchi and Faith Gray scored for the Avenging Angels. Briana Petrusa won a team-high two draws, and Ali Schuh and Joy Deitrich had two ground balls each. Deitrich started in goal and made six saves.
 
William Smith jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the game and never looked back. Maddie Montgomery opened the scoring 30 seconds into the game. Her 42nd goal of the season was unassisted. Ninety seconds later, Davis scored her first goal of the game. With 17:38 left in the half, Murphy notched her first goal of the game off a feed from Montgomery. Two minutes later Bianchi ended the Herons run.
 
The Herons rattled off the game's next six goals to seize control of the game. Burns' goal with 10:09 remaining in the half would prove to be the game winner. With the goal, she became the 23rd Heron to reach the 100 goal mark. Montgomery and Burns then scored 25 seconds apart to extend the lead to 6-1. With 7:16 left in the half, senior Kelsey Williams scored her 16th goal of the season. Montgomery completed her hat trick with 3:46 left in the half. Two minutes later, she picked up her fourth goal of the game on a free position shot. Lilia Cruz scored a free position goal to make it 9-2 headed into the half.

William Smith opened the second half with a 5-0 run. First-year Chloe McGlynn notched her sixth goal of the season off a feed from Williams. Davis completed her hat trick with back-to-back goals. She scored 21 seconds after McGlynn's goal to make it 11-2 and then fired home a free position shot to make it a ten-goal game. Burns completed her hat trick with 20:15 remaining in regulation. Montgomery was credited with an assist on the goal. Four minutes late, Montgomery added her fifth goal of the game. It was the fifth time this season that she has scored five goals in a game. Gray broke up the run off a feed from Cruz with 10:33 left in regulation.
 
The Herons closed out the game with another 5-0 run. Murphy scored twice in a three-minute span to finish off her third hat trick of the season. Her third goal of the game was assisted by Burns. Two minutes later, sophomore Kaitlin Pellechia added a player up goal off a feed from Anna Murphy. First-year Maddie Schleicher pocketed her first collegiate goal off an assist with 2:36 left in regulation. Senior Rachel Yackel closed out the scoring with 53 seconds left on the clock.

William Smith dominated the stat sheet, finishing the game with a 38-7 advantage in shots and and an 18-8 advantage in ground balls. The Herons won the battle at the draw circle 16-7. The Herons were 12-for-15 clearing the ball and the Avenging Angels were 12-for-14.