ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Senior Katie Julien led a balanced attack with four goals to help the Union College women's lacrosse team to a 15-10 victory over the University of Rochester in the regular-season finale on Saturday afternoon at Fauver Stadium.
 
With the victory, Union (10-5, 6-4 Liberty League) clinched fourth place in the conference standings and, in the process, a home postseason game for the first time since 2015. Union will host local rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the first round of the Liberty League Tournament on Tuesday.
 
Julien led the charge for Union with a career-high four goals, scoring on all four of her shot attempts on the afternoon. Senior Dana Truini also had four points with a goal and a game-high three assists to go with a team-high five draw controls. Junior Dana Nelson matched her career-high for the second straight game with three tallies and added four ground balls, and sophomore Greta Maurer scored twice with an assist in addition to controlling four draws and grabbing three ground balls. Senior Sydney McPartlon and junior Anna Smith had three points as well with a goal and two helpers each.
 
Defensively, first-year Sydney Widlitz made 10 saves and junior Ella Trout tied for the team lead with four ground balls.
 
Union set the tone for the day early, outshooting Rochester 12-1 and outscoring the Yellow Jackets by a 6-1 margin in the opening period. The visitors scored three times before Rochester could possess the ball in the offensive side of the field, with Truini scoring 2:55 into the contest and then Julien and Nelson scoring 26 seconds apart for a quick 3-0 lead. After the home team got one back, Union responded with three goals in less than two minutes to reassert control, getting goals from Smith, Maurer and senior Drew Charlton to go up by five.
 
Rochester outscored Union 3-1 in the second stanza, with Julien netting the team's lone goal of the frame. However, three saves from Widlitz helped to keep the visitors in the lead headed into the second half.
 
The Yellow Jackets scored the first two goals of the third period to get back within a goal, but Julien forced a UR turnover and McPartlon scored from the eight-meter arc on the next possession to stem the tide. Nelson added another tally 66 seconds later to make it a 9-6 game, and goals by Maurer and sophomore Sarah Murphy later in the frame helped to give the visitors some breathing room.
 
Taking an 11-9 lead into the fourth quarter, Union outscored Rochester 4-1 to put the game away. Charlton led off the period with her second of the game, and that was followed by two from Julien and another from Nelson to build up a 15-9 advantage with under two minutes remaining.
 
Union will have one more chance to play in front of the home crowd this season, when the team hosts RPI on Tuesday in the first round of the Liberty League Tournament. Game time and a full tournament preview will be available on UnionAthletics.com early next week.