SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Juniors Audrey Larson and Anna Smith netted a game-high four goals apiece to lead the Union College women's lacrosse team to a dominating 18-2 victory over Mount St. Mary College in the team's 2023 home opener on Sunday afternoon at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
 
Larson and Smith both had big games to lead the Union offense, with Smith scoring four goals on four shots and Larson needing only six shots to record the highest-scoring output of her career. Senior Katie Julien led all players with a career-high five points on a goal and four helpers, while senior Dana Truini added four points thanks to two goals and two assists.
 
Union (2-1) had complete control of the game from the opening draw, with senior Sydney McPartlon opening the scoring 2:08 into the contest. Smith and junior Dana Nelson followed soon after off feeds from Julien to triple the lead, and Smith scored twice in 27 seconds to make it a five-goal edge before Erica Schmidgall got the visitors on the board with 3:56 left in the first frame. However, Union still had time to score four goals in the final 2:36 of the period to take a 9-1 lead into the second stanza.
 
The home team netted the only five goals of the second frame and did not allow Mount St. Mary a single shot to take a 14-1 lead into the half. Larson bookended the period with tallies, with Truini and seniors Drew Charlton and Elena Gerrato scoring in the middle for Union.
 
After a slowed-down third frame that saw Union attempt only seven shots, Union scored four more times in the fourth frame to close out the afternoon. Sophomore Sarah Murphy scored on the team's opening possession to make it a 15-2 game, followed by a pair of Larson goals and Julien's first of the season.
 
Union finished the afternoon with a commanding 42-7 edge in shots and forced nine of MSMC's 19 turnovers. The home team also controlled 19-of-24 draws, including seven draw controls for Nelson and five for Truini. First-year Sydney Widlitz and junior Hannah Dubinsky again split the goaltending duties on the day, with both players allowing one goal while combining for three saves.
 
After taking this week off for finals, Union will be back in action on Saturday at Plattsburgh State University beginning at 4 p.m.