POTSDAM, N.Y. – The Union College women's lacrosse team scored five unanswered goals in the fourth period to pull away with an 11-5 victory over Clarkson University in a key Liberty League matchup on Saturday afternoon at Hantz Field.
 
Seniors Sydney McPartlon and Drew Charlton combined for nine points to lead Union (7-3, 3-2 Liberty League) to the conference win. McPartlon led all players with four goals and five points, while Charlton added three goals and a helper. Sophomore Greta Maurer scored twice in addition to leading the team with five draw controls and three ground balls, and both senior Katie Julien and sophomore Morgan Adams added a goal apiece as well.
 
First-year Sydney Widlitz had another strong effort in goal for the visitors, making 12 saves to pick up her seventh win of the season.
 
Union scored three of the first four goals of the afternoon and never trailed for the 60 minutes of action. Maurer opened the scoring 2:44 into the game and McPartlon followed with a free-position tally to double the Union advantage. After the Golden Knights got one back, Charlton put home a player-up tally from McPartlon to take it a 3-1 lead after one quarter.
 
Clarkson (7-6, 2-4 Liberty League) scored back-to-back goals for the only time on the day to start the second period, quickly evening the score at three less than two minutes in. The score was still tied at four a few minutes later when the visitors came back with two in a row, with Julien putting Union back on top and Charlton adding to the lead with 1:08 left in the first half.
 
After the home team scored the only goal of a low-scoring third period, Union took control of the game with a dominant final frame. Union scored on five of its seven shot attempts while Widlitz stopped all four on-target attempts at the other end as part of a decisive final push. Adams and McPartlon got the run started by scoring 42 seconds apart early in the frame, and McPartlon added two more before Charlton finished off the scoring from the eight-meter arc.
 
Clarkson finished with a 29-24 edge in shots, but 12 saves for Widlitz compared to just five for Clarkson's Jennaca McGill proved to be the difference.
 
Union will begin a string of three straight home games next Saturday, when the team celebrates Senior Day with a 12 p.m. matchup against Vassar College at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.