GENEVA, N.Y.—The third-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team jumped out to a 6-0 lead and never looked back as it defeated fifth-ranked Tufts 14-4 in a quarterfinal contest on Boswell Field at David J Urick Stadium this afternoon. With the win, the Herons are now 21-0 on the season, setting a new program wins record. William Smith advances to the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2003.
 
Senior Maddie Montgomery led the Herons with five points on four goals and an assist. She also added a game-high seven draw controls. First-year Natalie Daniels also had four goals in the win. Seniors Kaitlin Pellechia (3g), and Payton McMahon (2g) also had multi-goal games. Senior Molly Davis had six draw controls. Sophomore Maura Smeader played all 60 minutes in goal and made seven saves as she earned her 20th win of the season.
 
The Jumbos end their season with a 16-5 overall record. Ella Lesperance scored two goals to lead the team. Kate Deehan logged a game-high three caused turnovers in the loss. Courtney Kaufman and Pascale de Buren combined to make six saves in the Tufts goal.
 
 
RECORD WATCH

• In addition to the wins mark, William Smith set a new single-season goals record. The Herons have scored 330 goals this season.
• With seven draw controls in today's game, Maddie Montgomery now has 233 for her career, three more than Mekayla Montgomery '21.
• Maura Smeader's 20th win of the season ties the William Smith single-season mark. Sarah Honan '17 had 20 wins in 2017.

 
KEY STATS

• William Smith dominated the stat sheet, finishing with a 28-18 advantage in shots and a 15-11 edge in ground balls. The Herons won the draw control battle 17-5.
• William Smith was 14-of-16 clearing the ball and Tufts was 11-for-16 on its clearing attempts.
• The four goals and 18 shots were a season-low for the Jumbos.

 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• William Smith shut out Tufts 6-0 in in the first quarter seizing control of the game from the opening whistle. Daniels opened the scoring just over three minutes into the contest. She dodged around a defender and fired a shot into the back of the net. It was her 33rd goal of the season.
• Montgomery scored the next two goals a minute apart to make it a three-goal game. The first goal she ripped into the upper right corner from a tough angle. Just under a minute later, she beat the Tufts goalie on a free position attempt. The tallies were her 79th and 80th goals of the season.
• After a Tufts timeout, Daniels converted on a free position shot for her 34th goal of the year.
• With 4:59 remaining in the opening frame, Montgomery beat a defender and fired a shot past Kaufman to complete her hat trick. The goal was the 200th of her career. Montgomery is just the third Heron to reach that milestone.
• McMahon rounded out the first quarter, dunking home a centering pass from Allie McGinty. The assist extended McGinty's point streak to 42 games.
• Tufts broke the deadlock just over three minutes into the second quarter when Margie Carden pocketed her 69th goal of the season.
• McMahon and Daniels rounded out the first 30 minutes with unassisted tallies. The goals started William Smith's second six-goal run of the game.
• The Herons added four goals early in the third quarter, including a natural hat trick from Pellechia. Montgomery started the frame with her 82nd goal of the season. With 11:40 to go in the frame, Pellechia collected a pass from McGinty, spun a defender and fired a shot into the upper corner of the cage.
• Less than one minute later, she added a free position goal to make it a 10-goal game. With 9:14 remaining in the third quarter, Pellechia completed the hat trick, dunking home a feed from Montgomery.
• Emma Joyce snapped the William Smith run with her 54th goal of the year.
• Daniels tacked on her fourth goal of the game with 2:29 remaining in the frame.
• Katherine Murray scored her 37th goal of the season with 9:25 remaining in regulation to give the Herons a 14-2 lead.
• Tufts rounded out the game with a pair of Lesperance goals late in regulation. They were her 15th and 16th goals of the season.

 
GRADUATION
This morning, Hobart and William Smith Colleges celebrated the commencement for the Classes of 2023. Liza Diffley, Molly Davis, Payton McMahon, Maddie Montgomery and Kaitlin Pellechia received their degrees during the ceremony. Entering the national semifinals, they have helped the Herons to a record of 52-9, three Liberty League tournament titles and three trips to the NCAA tournament.



COACH'S CORNER


UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Friday, May 26, when they take on Gettysburg in Salem, Virginia. The opening draw is scheduled for 3 p.m.