The seventh-ranked William Smith lacrosse team continues its six-game road trip this weekend March 21-22, when it begins Liberty League play in the Capital District. On Friday, the Herons will be at Union at 4 p.m.  The next day, the Herons will take on Rensselaer at 2 p.m.
 
William Smith is 3-2 overall and looking to bounce back from a pair of losses to start spring break. On Saturday, the Herons were defeated by then No. 7 Salisbury, 10-6. Sophomore Mia Falco had a hat trick for the Herons. Two days later, William Smith was edged by No. 3 Franklin and Marshall 10-8. Senior Katherine Murray had five goals in the game.
 
The Garnet Chargers are 4-0 this season. Union is coming off a 12-8 victory over then No. 25 Massachusetts Institute of Technology last Saturday. Gillian Joseph had eight points on five goals and three assists to lead the way for the Garnet Chargers.
 
The Engineers are 4-2 overall and opened up Liberty League play with an 8-4 win over St. Lawrence last Saturday. Ava Gilardone and Quinn Wollard had two goals each to lead RPI. The Engineers will host Rochester on Friday at 4 p.m.
 
Fans who cannot make the trip to the Capital District can follow all the action on Union and RPI's athletics websites. Both games will be broadcast live on WHWS-FM (105.7 in Geneva).
 
ABOUT THE HERONS

• Murray leads William Smith with 17 goals, five assists and 22 points.
• Junior Natalie Daniels is right behind her with 15 goals and 17 points. Falco adds 12 goals.
• Daniels has a team-leading 39 draw controls. Sophomore Kayla Quirk is second with 10.
• Junior Lily Kuhn has eight caused turnovers and seniors Livy Von Heil and Nikki Pio have six.
• Senior Maura Smeader has played every minute in goal for the Herons. She has a 7.80 GAA and a .530 save percentage.

 
NATIONAL NUMBERS

• William Smith enters the weekend fourth in the nation in draw control percentage (.672), ninth in clearing percentage (.905) and 11th in turnovers per game (12.40).
• Daniels is sixth in the nation in draw controls per game (9.75) and is 14th in free position attempts (.833).

ABOUT THE GARNET CHARGERS

• Joseph leads Union with 12 goals, eight assists, 20 points and five caused turnovers.
• Hannah Compa is second on the team with 10 goals. Lana Mickelson is second with six assists and 13 points.
• Greta Maurer and Maddie Doyle have 17 and 14 draw controls, respectively, to lead the team.
• Sydney Widlitz has played the majority of the minutes in goal. She is 4-0 with an 8.29 GAA and a .508 save percentage.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Friday's game will be the 38th meeting between William Smith and Union.
• The Herons lead the all-time series 28-10 and are on an 11-game winning streak
• William Smith won both games last year, including a 13-3 victory in the semifinals of the Liberty League tournament. Daniels had five goals and six draw controls to lead the Herons.

 
ABOUT THE ENGINEERS

• RPI is led offensively by Ella Graff's 15 goals and 18 points.
• Camille Stackhouse has a team-high six assists.
• In the draw circle, Lauren DeLeo leads the way with 33 draw controls. Bethy Spizzo has six caused turnovers.
• Jenny Canfield has played most of the minutes in goal for the Engineers. She is 4-2 with a 7.37 GAA and a .545 save percentage. Canfield has a team-high 11 ground balls.

 
SERIES HISTORY

• Saturday's game will be the 31st meeting between William Smith and RPI.
• The Herons lead the all-time series 25-5, including a 10-4 advantage in Troy.
• Last year, William Smith beat the Engineers 15-9 in the Poole Family Dome. Daniels had a game-high five points on four goals and an assist. Allie McGinty '24 added three goals and two assists.