GENEVA, N.Y. – The Union College field hockey team had a pair of one-goal leads in the first and fourth quarters, but each time William Smith College came back and the home team eventually scored in the final minutes to deal Union a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat in Liberty League action on Friday afternoon at McCooey Field.
 
The loss was a big blow to the postseason hopes of Union (10-4, 2-4 Liberty League), as the team now sits in a tie for fifth place with Skidmore College with one conference game remaining. Since the Thoroughbreds own the head-to-head tiebreaker, Union would need to beat the University of Rochester and have Skidmore fall to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Sunday in order to make the playoffs.
 
Senior Emily Dawson continued her fantastic season for Union with a pair of goals, moving her into a tie for fifth place on the program single-season list with 15 tallies. Both her 15 goals and 35 points are the most for a Union player since Nicole Merigliano '14 recorded a program-record 18 goals and 40 points in 2013.
 
Union got the scoring started on a beautiful goal by Dawson in the sixth minute. Following a penalty corner that was foiled at the top of the arc, the ball trickled toward the near end line for Dawson, who somehow backhanded the ball onto the top-right corner from a near-impossible angle for the score.
 
William Smith (13-2, 5-1 Liberty League) got the goal back following a penalty corner with 2:27 remaining in the opening period, as Emily Leonard scored on a penalty stroke.
 
The Herons had the only four shots of the second stanza, but first-year Sophie Brady turned aside all four attempts to keep the game tied at one headed into halftime.
 
The home team had the better of play for much of the third quarter, earning six penalty corners and outshooting the visitors 6-2. However, Brady made three saves and the Union defense held strong against the pressure to keep William Smith off the board. Then with under two minutes remaining, Union earned a penalty corner and Dawson struck again by tipping home a rocket from the top of the arc by sophomore Suzanna Wright to give Union the lead headed into the fourth.
 
Union did an excellent job keeping the ball away from the Union cage for the first 10 minutes or the fourth frame, but William Smith scored twice in the final five minutes to escape with the win. Sofia Pattillo tied the score with 4:37 remaining by deflecting a ball in the goal mouth. Then with less than 90 seconds left, Rebecca Mantione weaved through multiple defenders and beat Brady for the game-winning goal.
 
Brady matched her season high with nine saves for Union, as William Smith posted a 17-6 edge in shots and took 11 penalty corners to Union's three.
 
Union will close out Liberty League play on Sunday, when the team recognizes its five graduating seniors with Senior Day against Rochester beginning at 2 p.m. at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.