Box Score GENEVA, N.Y.—The fifth-ranked William Smith College field hockey team advanced to the NCAA Division III Semifinal Round for the sixth time in the program’s history with a dominating 5-1 victory over third-ranked Ursinus College. Sophomore forward
Sophie Dennis (Dana L. West/Port Byron, N.Y.) led the offensive explosion with her fourth career hat trick.
“I have to admit that rarely has a team left me speechless,” Heron Head Coach
Sally Scatton said. “I’ve been in this position a number of times, and I don’t recall, ever, a situation where it’s been this type of a score in the third round. I credit our team for staying really focused and concentrating on playing the game hard and playing the game well and not thinking about what is at stake, just trying to stay in the moment.”
Dennis opened the scoring at the 5:34 mark, tipping a blast off the stick of junior back
Lauren Fuller (Shaker/Loudonville, N.Y.) past first-year goalie Jessica Lamina (Central Bucks West/Doylestown, Pa.). Junior midfidler
Amy Kuzio (Clinton/Clinton, N.Y.) doubled the Herons’ advantage at the 28 minute mark, finishing a scramble in front to close the first half scoring.
Three minutes after the break, Dennis added her second goal of the game, redirecting a blast from junior forward
Maggie Dolan (Towson/Towson, Md.).
Dennis made it a 4-0 William Smith lead in the 49th minute with an outstanding individual effort. She took possession on the right wing, 30 yards from the cage, outran the defense, and beat Lamina one-on-one.
In the 64th minute, Dolan added the final Heron goal of the afternoon with a perfectly placed shot in the lower right corner of the cage.
Ursinus (20-2) finally solved the William Smith defense with just 15.8 seconds remaining in the contest. Senior back Joyce Anne Koubaroulis (Cox/Virginia Beach, Va.) recorded her 17th goal of the year off an assist from sophomore forward Molly Stevens (Lower Dauphin/Hummelstown, Pa.).
Junior goalie
Sue Jordan (Boothbay/Boothbay, Maine) recorded six saves for her 18th win of the year, while Lamina made seven stops in just over 63 minutes of play.
William Smith (18-2) held a slim 16-15 advantage in shots, but the Heron defense was smothering, blocking or forcing wide shots on most of the Bears' chances.
The Herons will play the winner of Monday’s College of New Jersey at Salisbury game at 2 p.m., on Nov. 19, at Westfield State (Mass.) College. William Smith has won three national championships (1992, 1997, 2000) under Scatton.
