The Clarkson University Women’s Lacrosse team got off to a strong start against Liberty League powerhouse William Smith, but the Herons strung together 11 unanswered goals midway through the game to gain a 17-6 win at Hantz Turf Field on Saturday afternoon.

Tied 4-4 midway through the first half, William Smith (7-4, 4-1 Liberty League) went on an 11-goal run to take a commanding 15-4 lead over the Golden Knights early in the second half. After Clarkson senior Kerrie Cline (Tuxedo, NY) tied the game at four apiece with 13:09 remaining in the first half, Hannah Connolly put William Smith in the lead for good with a 5-4 advantage with 11:14 left before the break. The Herons tallied six more times in the half to hold an 11-4 lead after the opening 30 minutes.

William Smith continued to roll to start the second half as Abbie West scored twice in the opening two minutes to continue the Herons’ momentum. Melissa Potter made it 15-4 with her sixth goal of the day with 23:22 remaining. Clarkson freshman Christine Wright (Watertown, NY) put a temporary halt to the visitors’ run when she tallied the Knights’ fifth goal with 22 minutes left.

The Herons sandwiched a pair of goals around a score by Clarkson senior Marissa Mastronardi (Cortland, NY) late in the half to close out the game.

Potter scored five goals and Kathleen Ragan tallied seven points, including four goals, to lead the Herons. Williams Smith outshot the Knights 31-20. Both teams recorded 21 ground balls apiece.

Senior Alyssa Cristaldi (North Syracuse, NY) led Clarkson with two goals and two assists. Classmate Katie VanDeValk (Baldwinsville, NY) also scored for the Green and Gold.

Marina Guigli picked up the win in goal with a 10-save effort for William Smith. Junior Kara DiNatale (Auburn, NH) made two stops through 29 minutes for Clarkson, while freshman Stephanie Lynch (Baldwinsville, NY) posted six saves in the final 31 minutes for the Knights.

Clarkson, which falls to 8-4 overall and to 3-4 in the conference, will play at SUNY Canton on Tuesday.