SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College women's lacrosse team is a top-two seed in the Liberty League Tournament for the first time since 2016 and the second-seeded Garnet Chargers will begin their sixth straight postseason with a first-round matchup against seventh-seeded Rochester Institute of Technology on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
Union (11-5, 9-1 Liberty League) and RIT (10-6, 4-6 Liberty League) will meet in one of three first-round games. In other first-round action on Tuesday, third-seeded Ithaca College hosts sixth-seeded Clarkson University and fourth-seeded University of Rochester hosts fifth-seeded St. Lawrence University. Top-seeded William Smith College received a bye into the semifinals.
POSTSEASON HISTORY: Union is making its 18th appearance in the conference tournament and is 18-14 all-time in Liberty League Tournament play. Union boasts three Liberty League Tournament championships (2005, 2006, 2015) to its credit and has won five conference titles overall, including a pair of UCAA regular-season titles (1999, 2002) before the conference tournament was instituted in 2004.
UNION VS. THE TIGERS: Union and RIT have met once a year since the Tigers joined the Liberty League in 2012, with Union boasting an 8-5 edge in the all-time series. The teams have never met in the postseason and Union has won four-of-six games in Schenectady, although RIT has won the last two meetings on Frank Bailey Field in 2023 and 2025.
LAST MEETING: Union had its best game of the season against RIT, scoring the most goals in a game in over two decades in a 24-5 win in Rochester on April 17. The 24 goals were the most since a 24-1 win over Hartwick College almost exactly 24 years earlier on April 18, 2002 and are tied for the second-most in a game in program history, trailing only the 25 put up against Skidmore College on April 6, 1987. Juniors
Maddy Schiller (6-1-7) and
Gillian Joseph (5-2-7) both had a game-high seven points, as the visitors scored 13 times in 20 shots in an incredibly efficient first quarter and rolled the rest of the way.
GILL THE THRILL: Junior
Gillian Joseph has set a new career-high with 47 goals during the regular season and is one of only four players in program history to record 45+ goals in three different seasons. With a year still to go, Joseph already ranks eighth in program history with 139 goals and 188 points and 10th with 49 assists for her career. Three more goals would move Joseph into sixth place all-time in the program all-time rankings.
MADD ABOUT U: Junior
Maddy Schiller enters the week three goals away from 100 for her collegiate career, thanks to a career-high 44 so far this season. The junior has recorded at least two goals in each of the last seven games and 12-of-16 overall this season, and would become the 15th player in program history – and second this year – to reach the century mark in goals.
QUICK ON THE DRAW: Junior
Hannah Compa is the second player in program history to record 100 draw controls in a season, and enters the postseason with 103 to rank second in the Liberty League. Only Caitlin Cuozzo '06 HOF '24 has controlled more draws in a season for Union, recording a program-record 138 in 2006. Compa ranks 16th in the country by averaging 6.8 draw controls per game so far this season, while Union as a team ranks 42nd in Division III by controlling 58.1 percent of draws.
CHASING 100: Senior
Lana Mickelson is four points away from reaching 100 for her career, having recorded 57 goals and 38 assists in three seasons at Union after scoring one goal as a first-year at Iona University. With five points, she would become the 32nd player in program history to reach the century mark at Union.
SHE'S THE ONE: Senior
Sydney Widlitz has become Union's all-time leader in victories and saves this season, earning her program-record 35th win at Clarkson and recording her record 467th career save on Saturday against Rochester. In 64 career games, Widlitz is 41-20 with a 10.08 goals against average, .455 save percentage and 475 saves, and currently ranks 14th among active D-III goalies in career saves.
D IS FOR DEMBOWSKI: Junior
Anna Dembowski has led the way for the Union defensive unit this season, pacing all Liberty League players with 48 ground balls and averaging 3.43 grounders per game so far this season. The junior also ranks seventh in the conference with 1.93 caused turnovers per game. Helped by seniors
Claudia Patz and
Sammy Johnson and sophomore
Kate Loughney, the Union defense ranks third in the conference by allowing just 9.4 goals per game, and the group has been even stingier against league foes at only 8.6 goals per conference contest.
ABOUT THE TIGERS: Zoe Heffernan leads RIT in scoring with 39 goals and 10 assists for 49 points in 16 games, and is one of three Tigers with at least 25 goals along with Adele Jones (30) and Grace Validzic (28). On the defensive side of the ball, Jocelyn Lee leads the squad with 31 ground balls and 26 caused turnovers, while Ellie Ruddy ranks second on the team with 28 grounders and has posted a 10.21 goals against average and .432 save percentage in 14 starts. Milena Stephen ranks third in the Liberty League with 90 draw controls so far this season, as the Tigers ranked third in the conference as a team by controlling nearly 14 draws per game.
WHAT'S NEXT: The winner of Tuesday's game will advance to the Liberty League Tournament semifinals on Friday against the winner of Ithaca College and Clarkson University.
2026 Liberty League Women's Lacrosse Tournament
First Round – Tuesday, April 28 (all games at higher seeds)
#5 St. Lawrence University at #4 University of Rochester, 3:00 p.m.
#7 Rochester Institute of Technology at #2 Union College, 4:00 p.m.
#6 Clarkson University at #3 Ithaca College, 4:00 p.m.
Semifinals – Friday, May 1 (all games at higher seeds)
#4 Rochester/#5 St. Lawrence at #1 William Smith, TBA
#2 Union/#7 RIT vs. #3 Ithaca/#6 Clarkson, TBA
Championship – Sunday, May 3 (at higher seed)
Two Remaining Teams, TBA
