SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.—Senior midfielder Maddie Montgomery matched her career-high with seven goals as the fourth-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team cruised to an 18-7 victory over Skidmore College at Wachenheim Field this afternoon. With the victory, the Herons are 9-0 for the first time since 2000. William Smith is 3-0 in Liberty League play.
 
Montgomery finished the contest with a game-high seven points. She added a game-high six draw controls and had two caused turnovers. Sophomore Katherine Murray recorded five points on three goals and two assists. She had a team-high five ground balls. Senior Kaitlin Pellechia added a hat trick in the victory. Sophomore Maura Smeader played all 60 minutes in goal. She made five saves.
 
Jillian Lockwood scored twice for the Thoroughbreds (6-3, 2-2). Liz Kazanjian played all 60 minutes in goal for Skidmore and made 14 saves. She also had a game-high five ground balls. Grace deBenedictis had three draw controls and a goal in the losing effort.
 
KEY STATS

• William Smith dominated the stat sheet. The Herons finished the game with a 46-19 edge in shots and a 21-7 lead in the draw circle. William Smith also had a slight 21-20 edge in ground balls.
• The Herons were 18-of-20 on clear attempts and the Thoroughbreds were 17-of-21 clearing the ball.

 
FIRST QUARTER

• Despite William Smith taking a 4-1 lead after the opening 15 minutes, the first quarter was tightly contested with only two goals being scored in the first 13 minutes of the game.
• Pellechia opened the scoring just under two minutes into the game when she bounced home a shot for her 17th goal of the season. Junior Allie McGinty was awarded an assist on the goal, extending her point streak to 30 games.
• Two minutes later, Skidmore tied the game, but that would be as close as the game would get. Maddy Marr beat Smeader with a high shot for her 11th goal of the season. Camille Pontone picked up an assist on the tally.
• The middle of the quarter was dominated by strong defensive play. Montgomery broke the deadlock with a free position goal with 1:44 left in the opening quarter. It was her 26th goal of the year.
• Fifty seconds later senior Molly Davis notched a free position goal of her own. It was her 14th goal of the year.
• With four seconds remaining in the frame, Pellechia notched her second goal of the game. Murray was awarded an assist on the senior's 18th goal of the year.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Pellechia completed her hat trick five minutes into the second frame. The goal was assisted by first-year Natalie Daniels
• Twenty-nine seconds later, Montgomery pocketed her 27th goal of the year off a feed from Davis.
• William Smith's run hit six goals when Murray notched her 17th goal of the season. She dodged around a defender and fired a shot into the back of the net.
• Skidmore scored a pair of goals late in the half to make it 7-3 after 30 minutes. DeBenedictis scored off a pass from Elizabeth Walsh and Lily Schwartzman notched an unassisted goal.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• The Herons took control of the game thanks to a 6-1 run early in the second half.
• Murray's 18th goal of the season started the run. It was assisted by Davis.
• Montgomery scored the next two goals to complete her hat trick and give the Herons a 10-3. The first goal was assisted by Murray. The second was a fantastic individual effort and raised her season total to 29 goals.
• Following a Lockwood goal for Skidmore, The Herons made it 13-4 with three goals in Just over a minute. Montgomery scored her 30th and 31st goals of the season and senior Payton McMahon pocketed her 12th goal of the year. All three tallies were free position goals.
• Brooke Lavelle and McMahon traded goals, giving the Herons a 14-5 lead with 6:22 remaining in the frame.
• William Smith extended the lead to 10 goals on Maddie Montgomery's 32nd goal of the year. Her seventh goal of the game matched her career high.
• Two minutes later, Davis added her 15th goal of the season. It was an unassisted strike.
• Lockwood added goal just before the buzzer. Her second goal of the game was assisted by Maeve McKinley.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• Murray completed her hat trick 30 seconds into the final frame. The free position shot was her 19th goal of the season.
• Junior Emily Griffin added an unassisted goal with three minutes remaining in regulation. It was her third goal of the year.
• Gabriella Modesti rounded out the scoring. It was her 20th goal of the season.

 
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action Wednesday, April 5, when it takes on Rochester Institute of Technology. The opening draw is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Rochester.