SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – First-year Garrett Salit recorded a game-high seven points to become Union College's all-time first-year scoring leader and lead the fourth-seeded Garnet Chargers to a 13-9 win over fifth-seeded Skidmore College in the first round of the Liberty League Men's Lacrosse Tournament on Tuesday evening at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
 
With the win, Union (7-10) advances to the Liberty League semifinals, where the Garnet Chargers will face off with top-seeded and #16/18 Ithaca College on Friday at 4 p.m. in Ithaca.
 
Salit had a huge game to lead the home team to a win, scoring five goals with two assists for seven points. With his first point of the day, Salit surpassed Nate Fitch '93 HOF '13 for the most points by a first-year in program history and by the end of the night sat just two goals away from Fitch's first-year goal-scoring mark of 33 as well.
 
In addition to Salit's big night, sophomore Brendan Powers scored a career-high three goals and senior Emmett Lyne had three points as well on a goal and two assists.
 
Senior Luke Tranter had a successful day at the X, winning 20-of-26 faceoffs and grabbing a game-high six ground balls. First-year Jack Roycroft played a big role on the faceoff success with five ground balls and also scored a goal, while senior Chris Weitzel (three GBs, one CT) and sophomore Luke Foster (three GBs, two CTs) led the defensive effort. Junior Nick Lynch had another big effort in goal for Union as well, making 15 saves.
 
The offense was rolling for Union in the first half, as the Garnet Chargers scored four times in the first quarter and six times in the second to take a 10-4 lead into halftime. Sophomore Mac McGovern scored on the opening possession to get the team off on the right foot, but three of the next four goals went to Skidmore to take a 3-2 lead at the midway point of the opening frame. However, the home team took back momentum with the final two goals of the quarter, as Salit knotted the game at three and Lyne followed with a goal of his own to put Union up 4-3 after one frame.
 
Union took firm control of the game with a 6-1 second stanza, outshooting Skidmore by a 16-7 margin to take a 10-4 lead into the break. The Thoroughbreds evened the score at four 2:44 into the frame but Roycroft responded 12 seconds later off the subsequent faceoff to put Union back on top for good and kickstart a 6-0 run. Salit had three goals and an assist during the run, which was capped by Powers' second of the night with 1:32 left.
 
Skidmore came out of the locker rooms hot, scoring four goals in less than three minutes in the third quarter to get back within two at 10-8. But Lynch made a big save to keep it a two-goal edge and senior Walker Popko scored at the other end to regain the three-goal advantage. Two more Lynch saves kept the score at 11-8 headed to the fourth.
 
The visitors got the first goal of the fourth to get back within two, but the Union defense locked in from there, as Lynch stopped five shots and the defense forced Skidmore into three turnovers over the final 12 minutes. Powers and Salit added insurance tallies for the Garnet Chargers as Union advanced to the conference semifinals for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.