GENEVA, N.Y.-The 11th-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team defeated Nazareth College 9-4 this afternoon in a non-league contest on McCooey Field. The Herons improve to a perfect 11-0 on the season, the program's best start since 1995, while the Golden Flyers drop to 9-3 overall.

Senior Rachel Stahl (C.W. Baker/Baldwinsville, N.Y.) tallied twice for the Herons, extending her scoring streak to 14 games, while first-year Cassie Findlay (Episcopal/Riverside, Conn.) also netted two. Sophomore Brittany Callaghan (St. Luke's School/Armonk, N.Y.) and junior Nina Sperry (Daniel Hand/Madison, Conn.) each added a goal and an assist.

Sophomore Golden Flyer Nora Davis (Bishop Ludden/Syracuse, N.Y.) led the visitors with two goals and an assist, while first-year Michelle Cook (Waterloo/Waterloo, N.Y.) and senior Caity Richardson (Pittsford Mendon/Pittsford, N.Y.) each recorded a goal.

Nazareth got on the board first, as Richardson scored in the eighth minute of action on a free position shot. A few short minutes later, Davis netted her first of the day, giving the Golden Flyers an early 2-0 lead.

William Smith sophomore Sarah Goodkind (Millbrook School/Greenwich, Conn.) responded with the Herons' first goal of the game at the 15 minute, 53 second mark, igniting a 9-0 scoring run. Forty-seven seconds later, senior Sarah Davidson (South Burlington/South Burlington, Vt.) tied the game on a free position shot. Callaghan went on to score the go-ahead goal less than a minute later, and William Smith would never look back.

Sperry and Stahl ended the Herons' first half scoring, giving the hosts a 5-2 halftime lead.

Stahl needed just 48 seconds to score the first goal of the second stanza on a free position attempt. Findlay went on to net back-to-back tallies, followed by another from junior Michaela Parnell (Guilford/Guilford, Conn.), to give William Smith a commanding 9-2 lead with 11:25 remaining.

Davis cut the Golden Flyers' deficit to 9-3 with 10:49 to play, but the visitors ran out of time, as they could not connect again until the final minute of play.

William Smith junior Becky Josefiak (West Seneca East/West Seneca, N.Y.) recorded another strong outing in goal, collecting eight saves en route to her eighth win of the season. Nazareth junior goalie Maria Fusco (Immaculate Heart/Chaumont, N.Y.) registered nine saves, while sophomore Ann Sessler (Cazenovia/Cazenovia, N.Y.) stopped one shot in relief.

The Herons will be back in action on April 18, when they travel to Liberty League rival Hamilton for a contest between the two top teams in the conference at 4:00 p.m.

Score by Period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
Nazareth College....  2  2 -  4
William Smith.......  5  4 -  9

Nazareth College SCORING:
GOALS: Nora Davis 2; Michelle Cook 1; Caity Richardson 1.
ASSISTS: Nora Davis 1.

William Smith SCORING:
GOALS: Cassie Findlay 2; Rachel Stahl 2; Brittany Callaghan 1; Nina Sperry 1; Sarah Davidson 1; Michaela Parnell 1; Sarah Goodkind 1.
ASSISTS: Brittany Callaghan 1; Molly Fitzgerald 1; Jesse McKenna 1; Nina Sperry 1.

Nazareth College GROUND BALLS: Caity Richardson 3; Maggie Mullin 2; Hannah Brennan 1; Kara Kulba 1; Alyssia Roberts 1; Jamie Robison 1.

William Smith GROUND BALLS: Karin LeBlanc 3; Sarah Davidson 2; Molly Fitzgerald 1; Kara Grogan 1.

Nazareth College TURNOVERS CAUSED: Hannah Brennan 1; Alyssa Mulheron 1.

William Smith TURNOVERS CAUSED: Jesse McKenna 2; Torie Allen 1; Karin LeBlanc 1; Nina Sperry 1.

SHOTS - Nazareth College 13; William Smith 20.
SHOTS ON GOAL - Nazareth College 12; William Smith 19.

TURNOVERS - Nazareth College 16; William Smith 12.

CLEARS - Nazareth College 11-18; William Smith 10-12.

GOALIES
NAZ: Maria Fusco 9-3 (48:35 minutes, 18 shots-9 saves, 9 GA), Ann Sessler (11:25, 1-1, 0).
WSC: Becky Josefiak 8-0 (60:00, 12-8, 4).

2008-04-15