GENEVA, NY – The 5th-ranked and top-seeded William Smith College Herons proved to be too much for the University of Rochester women's lacrosse, as the Yellowjackets fell to the Herons in the Liberty League Tournament Semifinals, 15-6, on Friday afternoon at Urick Stadium.
Fresh off their first postseason win in program history, the Yellowjackets faced the tall task of upsetting the 5th-ranked and top-seeded Herons, who went undefeated in conference play, with their only losses coming against No. 2 Wesleyan and No. 4 Salisbury.
And the Herons quickly surged ahead to start the contest, scoring three goals in the first two minutes of play, and opening a 4-0 lead before
Anna Rogers got the 'Jackets on the scoreboard.
Rogers' score, assisted by
Allison Weiden with 9:28 left in the first, made it a 4-1 William Smith advantage, but the Herons would answer back with three-straight goals to take a 7-1 lead after one, and then outscored Rochester, 5-0, in the second, to lead 12-1 after 30 minutes of play.
Down 12-1, the Yellowjackets got on the scoreboard twice to start the third, with goals from
Jenna Kessler less than a minute into the period, cutting William Smith's lead to 10, while
Alyssa Gorny scored her first of two tallies with 10:20 left in the third on another Weiden assist.
And while the 'Jackets would outscore the Herons, 3-2, in the third, and 2-1 in the fourth, the halftime deficit would prove to be too much to overcome.
After Mia Falco answered Gorny's score to make it 13-3, Gorny scored another to again pull the 'Jackets within single digits, before a late tally from Taryn Luzy made it a 10-goal lead headed to the fourth.
In the fourth, Iris Polly would get William Smith back on the scoreboard just past the 10-minute mark of the quarter, before the Yellowjackets would hold the Herons scoreless the rest of the way.
Goals by
Tessa Little, assisted by Rogers with 3:54 left, and Weiden with 2:00 minutes to play would cut the final deficit to nine, 16-5, before the final buzzer sounded.
Gorny led the 'Jackets with a pair of scores, while Weiden contributed a team-high three points with a goal and two assists. Gorny also had a team-high three draw controls, while
Maddie Bunting and
Sara Mendelson each had two.
Defensively, Weiden also had a team-high five ground balls, while
Jenna Ufberg caused two turnovers. In goal,
Isla Ablin played all 60 minutes and made 12 saves.
With the win, William Smith moves to 16-2 and advances to the Liberty League Tournament Championship Game on Sunday, where they'll host second-seeded Union. While with the loss, the Yellowjackets wrap up their season with the second-most wins in program history at 12-6.
