The second-ranked William Smith lacrosse team will begin its four-game homestand this weekend when it welcomes Union College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to Geneva for back-to-back Liberty League contests. The opening weekend of conference play will begin with a matchup with the Garnet Chargers on Friday at 4:30 p.m., followed by a meeting with the Engineers on Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games will be played on Stiles Field at the Thomas B. Poole '61 and Family Sports Dome.

William Smith is 5-0 to start the season with two top-10 wins over then No. 7 York (Pa.) and No. 4 Salisbury. The Herons are coming off a 10-7 win over the Sea Gulls on Monday in Panama City Beach, Florida. Senior Maddie Montgomery led William Smith with three goals and one assist. Sophomore Hannah Evans recorded a hat trick in the win, while senior Allie McGinty tallied a game-high two assists, surpassing the 200-career point mark.  
 
Union enters the weekend with a 3-1 overall record after defeating Plattsburgh State 20-1 on Wednesday. The Garnet Chargers are 1-0 in Liberty League play after defeating Bard 20-5 on Wednesday, March 13.

RPI is 2-2 on the season and will visit the University of Rochester on Friday before heading to Geneva. The Engineers are also 1-0 in conference play after defeating St. Lawrence 16-9 on Saturday, March 16.
 
Capacity of the Poole Family Dome is limited by fire code, so there will be no general admission. The games will be broadcast live on WHWS-FM (105.7 in Geneva). Fans can watch the contests on HWS All-Access and track the action with Live Stats.
 
ABOUT THE HERONS

• William Smith enters the weekend 10th in the nation in draw control percentage (.639), 17th in scoring defense (6.60), 22nd in clearing percentage (.888) and 31st in scoring margin (+6.80).
• Montgomery leads the team with 21 goals and 24 points. She has a team-leading three game-winning goals and sits second on the team with 23 draw controls, just one behind sophomore Natalie Daniels.
• McGinty has recorded 15 assists this season to lead the Herons. She is second in the conference with 3.00 assists per game.
• First-year Janey Sypeck is coming off a career-high five caused turnovers against Salisbury. She is fourth in the conference with 1.80 per game.
• Junior Maura Smeader has played every minute in goal for William Smith. She is 5-0 with a 6.55 GAA and a .554 save percentage. Smeader is 10th in the nation in both GAA and save percentage.

 
ABOUT THE GARNET CHARGERS

• Union enters the weekend 11th in the nation in shots on goal per game (28.00), 12th in shots per game (35.50), 16th in scoring offense (16.75) and 17th in scoring margin (+8.00).
• Gillian Joseph leads the team with 10 goals and 12 points.
• Greta Maurer has recorded a team-leading four caused turnovers this season.
• The Garnet Chargers have three players with 10+ draw controls through four games. Lana Mickelson leads the team with 12.
• Sydney Widlitz has played a majority of minutes in goal for Union. She is 2-1 with an 8.75 GAA and a .364 save percentage.

ABOUT THE ENGINEERS

• RPI enters the weekend eighth in the nation in free position percentage (.650).
• Ella Graff leads the Engineers with 11 goals and 13 points.
• Megan Shay leads the conference with 5.00 goals per game. She has a team-leading four free position goals this season.
• Lauren DeLeo has recorded 20 draw controls this season to lead RPI.
• Jenny Canfield has played every minute in goal for the Engineers. She is 2-1 with a 10.33 GAA and a .508 save percentage.

SERIES HISTORY

• Friday's game will be the 37th meeting between William Smith and Union.
• The Herons hold a 26-10 advantage in the series, including a 15-2 record in Geneva.
• Last time they met, William Smith defeated Union 14-10 in the Liberty League semifinals. Montgomery led the Herons with four goals and nine draw controls, while Daniels and McGinty chipped in hat tricks.
• Saturday's game will be the 30th meeting between William Smith and RPI.
• The Herons hold a 24-5 edge in the series and are 14-1 at home against the Engineers.
• Last time they met, William Smith defeated RPI 17-7. Montgomery led William Smith with four goals, while Daniels, McGinty and junior Katherine Murray all chipped in hat tricks.