Katie Stames, Megan Gannon and Hannah Merriam each tallied their third goals of the season as the St. Lawrence University women's soccer team defeated Union 3-1 Saturday afternoon in Schenectady, New York.

Nicole Sturno kicked off scoring for Union with an early header goal during the second minute of play, but it was all Saints from then on.

Stames took a pass from Kaleigh White and made a breakaway to tie the game 1-1 just over 11 minutes later. Gannon gave the Saints a 2-1 lead heading into halftime after she dribbled around Union goalkeeper Kelsey Hartsoe for the goal.

Merriam added an insurance goal for the Saints during the 73rd minute of play. Emily Wade took a shot on goal and Merriam picked up the rebound to give St. Lawrence a 3-1 lead.

"This was a great opening conference game for us," said head coach Franco Bari. "Union came at us hard in the first moment of the game and scored a well-earned goal but our persistence and fight was very strong. Stames' goal gave us good momentum and after a few halftime adjustments we were able to generate a strong attack. I'm very pleased with the team's performance and now we focus on RPI."

Saints' goalkeeper Samantha Allen finished the day with three saves, while Hartsoe also recorded three for the Dutchwomen.

The Saints advanced to 6-2 overall and kicked off Liberty League play with a 1-0 start. With the loss, Union fell to 3-2-1 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.

St. Lawrence will face off against RPI, Sunday, Sept. 24th for their second Liberty League matchup of the season.