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The 1994 lacrosse team is the sixth Heron Team of Distinction. Of William Smith’s five NCAA lacrosse finalists, the 1994 team possessed neither the most prolific offense, nor the most smothering defense, but displayed the character and determination to prevail in close contests.
Half of the team’s first 10 games (all Heron wins) were decided by four goals or less, including a 13-9 win over Bloomsburg that saw goalie Sarah Daniels '95 register 19 saves. Three days later, William Smith’s unbeaten record was put to the test by Cortland. Tied at 10 with less than seven minutes remaining, Amy Hoover '95 hit the back of the net to give the Herons a one goal advantage. Jennifer Bertch '95 added an insurance goal two minutes later, a much needed cushion after the Red Dragons closed the gap to 12-11 with 23 seconds remaining.
William Smith and Cortland met again two weeks later in the NYSWCAA championship game, this time without the drama. The Herons captured their fourth straight state title 18-6 behind the seven-point effort of Kristen McCarthy '96. The victory pushed William Smith’s record to an unblemished 14-0, one win short of the school record for consecutive wins.
The Herons drew Franklin & Marshall in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Diplomats wiped out a 9-8 halftime deficit with three of the first four second half goals to take a 12-11 lead. William Smith responded with five unanswered goals, including a four-goal burst in just over two minutes, and held on for a 16-14 win. Bertch and Amy Alvord '95 both scored twice during the decisive run.
Standing in the way of a new school record for consecutive wins was Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays seized an early lead but the Herons rattled off five of the final six goals of the first half to take a 7-5 lead into halftime. Hopkins made it a one-goal game midway through the second half, but Amanda Cox '95 and Jennifer Joinnides '97 netted back-to-back strikes as William Smith kept JHU at bay down the stretch in an 11-9 win. Unfortunately, the run ended in the national championship game as Trenton State handed the Herons their only loss of the season.
William Smith earned an impressive cache of postseason awards, including All-America accolades for Hoover (first team), Bertsch (second team), Alvord (third team) and McCarthy (third team).
Four members of the team have been inducted in the Heron Hall of Honor,
Bertsch (Class of 2007),
Hoover (2002),
Joinnides (2007), and
Head Coach Pat Genovese (1999).
