Pat Genovese

April 1, 2004

PITTSFORD, N.Y.—William Smith College Lacrosse Head Coach Pat Genovese captured her 300th career victory last night as the Herons downed St. John Fisher 13-6 in Growney Stadium. A three-time Division III National Coach of the Year, Genovese is the first Division III women’s lacrosse coach to reach the benchmark and just the second in all of women’s lacrosse to do so.

“Every win is a special one,” Genovese said. “It isn’t an individual accomplishment to me, it’s a team achievement and a team milestone that we reached together.”

Senior Megan Sontum (Middlebury Union/Middlebury, Vt.) got things started for the Herons (5-1) with an unassisted score 3:30 into the game. William Smith scored four of the next five goals, including three by senior attacker Gretchen Lasda (West Genesee/Camillus, N.Y.), to take a 5-1 lead. The Herons were on the verge of turning the game into a blowout.

St. John Fisher (3-3), however, had other ideas as first-years Haley Koperski (Brighton/Rochester, N.Y.) and Theresa Nobilski (Brighton/Rochester, N.Y.) tallied three unanswered to pull the Cardinals to within one, 5-4.

Senior Brighde Dougherty (Manasquan/Sea Girt, N.J.) gave the Herons a two-goal advantage at the end of the half with her 12th goal of the year with 1:08 left in the first frame.

Coming out of the break down by two, senior Mary Bergman (Centereach/Selden, N.Y.) and first-year Ramona Walters (Corcoran/Syracuse, N.Y.) tied the game at six with the first two goals of the half.

It was all William Smith after that as the Herons answered with the final seven scores of the game to pull away from the Cardinals. Lasda and senior Nikki Traino (West Genesee/Syracuse, N.Y.) each fired home a pair of goals in the run.

“I’m really proud of the team’s response in the second half,” Genovese said. “They really stepped up their level of play after St. John Fisher tied the game to earn the victory.”

Lasda led all scorers with five tallies, while Dougherty had two goals and an assist. Nobilski and Koperski both finished the evening with two goals apiece.

In goal, senior Becca Splain (Middlebury Union/Middlebury, Vt.) surpassed the career mark for wins by a William Smith goalie, making nine saves to earn her 48th career victory. Senior Michelle Bloom (Tully/Lafayette, N.Y.) had 15 stops for St. John Fisher.

The eighth-ranked Herons return to action on April 3, hosting Denison University in the annual Heron Draw at 11 a.m.

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