GENEVA, N.Y.-The 13th-ranked William Smith College lacrosse team downed Denison University 21-8 this afternoon in the final game of the Heron Draw. Junior Michaela Parnell (Guilford/Guilford, Conn.) notched five goals and senior Rachel Stahl's (C.W. Baker/Baldwinsville, N.Y.) tallied four goals and two assists to lead the Herons to victory. William Smith improved to 8-0 overall, matching its best start since 2002, while the Big Red fell to 2-6 on the season.

Along with Parnell and Stahl, sophomores Brittany Callaghan (St. Luke's School/Armonk, N.Y.) (3 goals-2 assists) and Molly Fitzgerald (Gould Academy/Sudbury, Mass.) (2-3) each recorded five points, while junior Nina Sperry (Daniel Hand/Madison, Conn.) added two goals and two assists. Sophomore Sarah Goodkind (Millbrook School/Greenwich, Conn.) also tallied twice for the Herons.

For the visitors, senior Quinn Simmons (Medina/Medina, Ohio) scored four goals, while classmate Meg Wilcox (Quaker Valley/Sewickly, Pa.) totaled two goals and a helper. Sophomore Sarah Langsam (Germantown Friends/Philadelphia, Pa.) and first-year Phoebe Myhrum (Shady Side Academy/Pittsburgh, Pa.) contributed one of each.

Denison got off to a fast start, netting two goals in the first three minutes of action, from the sticks of Langsam and Wilcox. William Smith responded with four unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead with 12:52 left to play in the half. Parnell, Fitzgerald, Stahl, and first-year Kara Grogan (Gunnery School/West Simsbury, Conn.) all tallied during the run.

The teams traded goals for the remainder of the half, with three of Simmons's four goals coming in the final 12:30 for the Big Red. Myhrum's tally with 1:50 on the clock cut Denison's deficit to one, 7-6, but William Smith maintained its lead and carried an 8-6 advantage into the break.

The Herons dominated the second period, notching 13 unanswered goals. Sperry had a hand in four straight goals in a span of five minutes, followed by two consecutive tallies from Goodkind, and back-to-back scores from Parnell.

Denison closed out the contest with goals from Simmons and Wilcox, but it was too little to late.

Junior Heron netminder Becky Josefiak (West Seneca East/West Seneca, N.Y.) earned her fifth win of the season, recording nine saves, while junior Amanda Wilson (Western Reserve/Hudson, Ohio) picked up eight for the Big Red.

William Smith will be back in action on April 11, when it hosts Clarkson for a Liberty League contest at 4:00 p.m.

2008-04-06