William Smith lacrosse suffered its first loss of the season on Monday night, falling 17-11 to fourth-ranked Salisbury at Pete Edwards Field at Publix Sports Park. The eighth-ranked Herons dropped to 5-1 overall.
Katie Grottenthaler led William Smith with four goals, while Kira Fulton, Mia Falco and Cat Colvin each scored twice. Grace Rund recorded a team-high four draw controls and Grottenthaler added three. Casey Fiore played all 60 minutes in goal and made 11 saves.
Salisbury was paced by Audrey Harrington, who finished with seven goals and an assist. Julianna Ott added three goals as the Sea Gulls improved to 8-0.
William Smith responded quickly after Salisbury scored just 48 seconds into the game. Grottenthaler and Fulton each scored unassisted goals to give the Herons a brief 2-1 lead. Salisbury answered with five of the next six goals to take a 6-3 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Herons rallied in the second quarter, using a 4-1 run to tie the game 7-7 before halftime. Grottenthaler and Falco each scored during the surge, while Colvin and Fulton added goals to complete the comeback.
Salisbury regained control with a four-goal run spanning the second and third quarters to build an 11-7 lead. William Smith cut the deficit to two after goals from Grottenthaler and Taryn Luzi in the third period, but the Sea Gulls pulled away with a 6-1 run to close the game.
Salisbury finished with a 33-26 advantage in shots and a 17-13 edge in draw controls, while William Smith held an 18-12 edge in ground balls.
William Smith returns to action Friday, March 20, when it travels to face Clarkson. Opening draw is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].