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GENEVA, N.Y.—Sophomore Taylor Cappello rattled off three straight goals to propel the 13th-ranked William Smith field hockey team by Rensselaer 4-1 in a Liberty League tournament semifinal at McCooey Field. The Herons will travel to fifth-ranked Skidmore for the conference championship match at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Just 8:15 into the match, William Smith (15-3) scored on a penalty corner to take a 1-0 lead. Senior Kiersten Hamilton sent a pass to first-year Sarah Tompson in the left slot, who rifled home her sixth goal of the season.

The Engineers (11-5) pulled even just short of three minutes later. On a scramble in front of the Heron cage, a pass was deflected right to Kelsey Porter near the left post. She slipped a shot under the pads of junior goalie Taryn Little.

The Herons took the lead for good in the 23rd minute when Cappello dribbled through the middle of the circle, around two defenders, and tucked a shot inside the right post.

William Smith still clung to a 2-1 lead early in the second half. In the 42nd minute, sophomore Margaret McConnell put a shot on frame that RPI goalie Briana Earle stopped, but the rebound found its way onto the stick of Cappello, who made it a 3-1 game. She added another insurance goal in the 64th minute to raise her team-leading goal total to 15.

Little was on top of her game after allowing the early goal. She finished with eight saves, all in the second half, to earn the win. Despite the final score, Earle was outstanding as well, making 12 saves in the opening 35 minutes and finishing the night with 20. She made the save of the game in the 44th minute. McConnell fired a shot from the top of the circle that deflected off a defender's stick up in the air. Earle had to make a leaping save to stop the shot from turning into a chip shot goal.

William Smith enjoyed a 29-14 advantage in shots and a 14-9 edge in penalty corners.

The Herons are returning to the conference championship match for the first time since 2007. William Smith and Skidmore have won 15 of the 16 Liberty League titles since the conference was founded as the UCAA in 1995. The league instituted a postseason tournament to determine a champion in 2002. This will be the fifth time the Herons and Thoroughbreds have squared off in the title tilt with both sides claiming a pair of victories.