GENEVA, N.Y.—Two different players recorded five points as the fifth-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team cruised to a conference opening victory over Clarkson University this afternoon. With the 17-6 win, the Herons move to 6-0 overall and 1-0 in the Liberty League, while the Golden Knights fall to 5-3, and 0-2 in conference play.
 
Seniors Kaitlin Pellechia and Maddie Montgomery led the way for the Herons with five points each in the win. Pellechia shined, scoring five goals on just five shots this afternoon, while Montgomery added two goals and three assists for William Smith.
 
Sophomore Katherine Murray added a hat trick for the Herons, while junior Allie McGinty chipped in two goals and two assists. Five different Herons recorded one goal each as William Smith cruised to victory.
 
The Herons continued to show strong defensive efforts, only allowing six goals on 19 shots faced. Senior Liza Diffley led the defensive charge, recording six ground balls while also forcing six caused turnovers. Junior Kate Risley added three caused turnovers and two ground balls to maintain the lead. Sophomore Maura Smeader made nine saves in 60 minutes of work.
 
Lauren Shanahan led the way for Clarkson with three points on three goals. She had a game-high four draw controls. Jennaca McGill played all 60 minutes in goal and made 13 saves.
 
KEY STATS:

• William Smith finished the game with a 32-19 advantage in shots.  
• The Herons won the ground ball battle 17-13.
• William Smith held a 13-11 advantage in the draw circle.
• The Herons were 13-of-15 clearing the ball and the Golden Knights were 15-of-19.

 
FIRST HALF

• Clarkson opened the scoring just 54 seconds into the contest as Chrissy Benedict slipped one past Smeader.
• The Herons responded with a five-goal flurry to take control of the game. Pellechia notched three straight to deliver the early hat trick for the Herons.
• Murray added two of her own, including a free position goal to extend the lead heading into the second quarter.
• William Smith continued to roll to start the second quarter, beating McGill three more times to extend its lead to seven.
• McGinty and McMahon added to the scoring before Clarkson's Madelynn Barnum pulled one back for the Golden Knights.
• With just 14 seconds left in the half, Montgomery was rewarded a free position shot in which she buried the shot to extend the lead to seven again.
• Montgomery was once again awarded a free position shot with one second remaining. She ripped the shot to the upper corner of the net to give the Herons an eight-goal lead at the half.

 
SECOND HALF

• Clarkson got on the board first in the second half thanks to strong efforts from Shanahan.
• William Smith responded by grabbing back the momentum of the game and possessing the ball well.
• The Herons fired off four-straight goals to give the team its biggest lead of the game. McGinty fired home a free position shot, which was followed by Pellechia's fifth goal of the game.
• Junior Chloe McGlynn converted a free position shot to give the Herons a 10-goal advantage.
• Murray posted her 10th goal of the season with 32 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give the Herons an 11-goal lead heading into the final quarter.
• Clarkson gained some momentum in the final quarter and opened up the quarter with two goals to cut their deficit to nine.
• With 5:44 remaining in the game, Montgomery found junior Emily Griffin cutting in front of the net. Griffin slipped one past McGill to grab her first of the night and sixth of the season.
• After Clarkson's Shanahan responded with her third goal of the night, first-year Natalie Daniels answered back for William Smith.
• First-year Hannah Evans closed the scoring for the Herons as she recorded her first career goal for William Smith, which clinched the Herons first conference victory of the season.

 
UP NEXT

William Smith will be back in action tomorrow, March 25, when it welcomes #22/20 St. Lawrence University for a Liberty League matchup. The conference clash between the Herons and the Saints is set for 2 p.m. in the Poole Family Sports Dome. There will be no general admission for the game due to fire code limitations. The only spectators admitted to the Dome will be those on the team's pass list