Considering she was not recruited to play lacrosse at William Smith College, Melissa Moore has been quite a find for the Herons. In a 12-8 campaign in which William Smith qualified for the NCAA Division 3 tournament for the first time since 2004, the sophomore attack from Dedham delivered 26 goals. Appearing in all 20 games, with 11 starts, the Noble & Greenough School graduate also contributed 26 ground balls, 21 forced turnovers, and 27 draws for the Geneva. N.Y. program. William Smith registered a 13-7 first-round win over Roger Williams before falling to fourth-ranked Gettysburg, 4-2. A sociology major with a minor in public policy, Moore recorded hat tricks in wins over Greensboro, RIT, Rochester, Vassar and St. Lawrence, and scored at least one goal in nine consecutive games. At Nobles, she helped propel the girls’ lacrosse team to the Independent School League title her senior season.

She was also a member of the girls’ basketball team that won the ISL and Class A New England titles, and also captured two league championships and the New England Class A title in field hockey.

Q. What drove the success of this year’s team?

A. Last year our season (7-9) definitely didn’t go as well as any of us hoped, but we were able to build a lot of team chemistry that ended up helping us this year. [First-year coach Anne Phillips] came to our team in the fall and let us all know that she had high expectations and wanted to win.

Q. How was the team was able to shake off a slow start (2-5) and rally for a tourney berth?

A. Losing to Clarkson (6-4) early in the season served as a really good motivator for us because we knew that the only way we would make the NCAA tournament was to win the Liberty League.

Q. How did it feel to win an NCAA game?

A. It almost didn’t feel real. Winning the first game felt amazing just because I knew that we would be able to play another game the next day. Even though the weekend didn’t end as we wanted it to, I think that we proved ourselves by playing Gettysburg to such a close game.

Q. How did you end up at William Smith?

A. I applied to a bunch of schools in the Northeast and while I was visiting the schools I kept lacrosse in mind. When I visited William Smith it was an amazing experience. I loved everyone I met and after deciding to go to HWS, I started talking to Brighde Dougherty, the head coach at the time, and she was super helpful and supportive of me trying out for the team in the fall.

Q. What is your biggest asset on the field?

A. My overall game sense and ability to be spontaneous on the attacking end and my stickwork. I am confident in my ability to catch and throw the ball, which allows me to help myself and my teammates succeed.

Q. You had a substantial increase in scoring this season. Did you do anything differently?

A. I started the season playing midfield, but in the middle of the year shifted back to playing solely attack as I did last season. One of the goals that Coach Phillips set for all of our midfielders and attackers was to contribute three points to every game. After she set that expectation it motivated me to score. Since last season, I have become more mentally confident and physically faster and stronger, which has all helped me become much more of a scoring threat.

JOHN JOHNSON

Q. What do you like to do when you’re not playing lacrosse?

A. This spring I had the opportunity to spend most of my Friday mornings volunteering at a local pre-school, which allowed me to meet kids who live in Geneva and their teachers. By the end of the semester the teachers would want know about my season and ask about my upcoming games.

Q. Your plans for the summer?

A. I am continuing to work at the day camp that I have for the last few summers and preparing to go abroad to Prague in the fall. I will be studying at Charles University through a program called UPCES (undergraduate program in Central European studies). I will be there for three months taking Czech and four other courses. The program also offers trips to travel to different places in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. A lot of my junior teammates and friends will also be in Europe so I hope to be able to visit them as well.

Q. What is the most difficult course you’ve had so far?

A. My freshman year I took my first economics course with one of the most difficult professors in the department and was extremely challenged. I loved the professor and it was a good experience but definitely the hardest course I have taken thus far.

For full interview, go to bostonglobe.com/south.