SAINTS’ RALLY FALLS SHORT IN 19-12 LOSS TO HERONS

Apr. 12: The St. Lawrence University women’s lacrosse team was able to overcome a five goal deficit with six goals early in the second half, but No. 13 William Smith rebuilt their cushion thanks to their outstanding speed, holding off the Saints and ensuring a 19-12 conference win in Geneva, NY.

The Saints fall to 8-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference with the loss, as the team heads into a crucial week with three Liberty League contests, including Clarkson, Rensselaer and Vassar, with the outcomes deciding St. Lawrence’s postseason fate.

William Smith, who is currently ranked 13th in Division III women’s lacrosse according to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) poll, remain unbeaten with a 10-0 overall mark and an unblemished 4-0 Liberty League record.

Junior Amanda Forbes ( Glens Falls, NY/ Glens Falls) and rookie Kim Morse ( Peaks Island, ME/ Yarmouth Academy) led the Saints, both scoring four goals a piece, while Morse also grabbed an assist. Senior co-captain Alanna Waters ( Darien, CT/Taft) used her innate ability behind the net to capitalize on scoring opportunities, tallying a goal and a game-high five assists for a team-high six points.

Also scoring for St. Lawrence was sophomore Mary Jane Sweetland (Hopewell, NJ/Stuart Country Day), who had a goal and an assist, and the North Country duo of junior Brittany Misercola (Watertown, NY/Watertown) and first-year Kaitlyn Fahsel (Watertown, NY/South Jefferson), who each tallied one.

A William Smith foul sent Morse to the eight meter just 1:06 into the game, who put the ball past Heron goalie Becky Josefiak ( West Seneca, NY/West Seneca East) to get the momentum going for the visiting team, giving them a 1-0 edge. The Herons used their speed off draw control wins to drive the ball down the field, scoring four goals in just under three minutes to jump out to a 4-1 lead with 23:21 to go in the opening stanza.

The Scarlet and Brown found they were able to settle near the goal and find key breaks to slip the ball past Josefiak in the middle of the first, going on a 3-0 run to tie the game 4-4 off of Sweetland’s goal with 12:53 on the clock.

It would be another six minutes before either team scored, but William Smith’s Molly Fitzgerald (Sudbury, MA/Gould Academy) scored a goal with 6:51 remaining to spark a 5-0 Heron run down the stretch to close out the half with a 9-4 advantage over the Saints.

A flurry of goals opened up the second, with eight goals being scored in just the first 4:49 of the half. Six of those belonged to St. Lawrence, who rallied back from a five-goal deficit to come within a goal of the home team with 25:21 left in the contest. But the Herons were able to regroup defensively and fight off St. Lawrence, allowing only two goals in the last 25 minutes while scoring eight of their own to end the game with a 19-12 victory.

“I was disappointed that we lost, but not at all with how we played,” said St. Lawrence Head Coach Jodi Canfield. “We got close a number of times in the second half, but could never tie it or get ahead. We had two key possessions that shifted the momentum a bit for us but we were unable to take advantage of those opportunities.”

In many ways, the Saints proved they could not only compete with the nationally-ranked Herons, but challenge them. Both squads had 29 shots each, while St. Lawrence held an edge in ground balls (18-17) as well as draw controls (17-16). Each team caused ten turnovers, while William Smith tallied 20 turnovers in all, while St. Lawrence had 19.

Defensively, Forbes came up big for St. Lawrence, winning a game-high six draw controls, picking up three groundballs, and causing two turnovers. Senior co-captain Michaela Wipfler ( Portland, ME/Deering) also picked up three groundballs and caused the Herons to turn the ball over twice, as did first-year Kelsey Redpath ( Norwich, VT/ Hanover). Sophomore Lexi Wisnowski ( Middlebury, VT/Middlebury Union) had two groundballs and two cause turnovers.

Leading the Herons’ offense was Fitzgerald, who had five goals and two assists for a game-high seven points.

The Scarlet and Brown will travel down the road to neighboring Clarkson University on Tuesday, April 15 for a North Country duel in Golden Knight territory. The first draw is scheduled for 5:00pm.