Box Score

GENEVA, N.Y.—Senior Chelsea England scored a pair of second half goals to lead the No. 2 ranked William Smith soccer team to a 3-0 Liberty League victory over No. 24 Skidmore on Cozzens Field today. The Herons tied the school record for consecutive shutouts to start a season with their ninth clean sheet of the year.

William Smith (8-0-1, 2-0-0) kept the Thoroughbreds under heavy pressure throughout the match, but struggled to solve senior goalie Megan Sleezer, who counted at least three diving stops among her five first half saves.

The match was still scoreless at halftime despite a 10-1 advantage in shots for the home side. The Herons also took all seven corner kicks in the first 45 minutes.

England got William Smith on the board in the 56th minute with a brilliant left-footed strike from the far left of the box that slid under the crossbar just inside the far post. Just over three minutes later, England notched her second goal of the match, the one with a more deft touch, chipping the ball over Sleezer to about the same spot in the cage. Both tallies were assisted by senior Whitney Frary.

The Herons' final marker came off a lucky bounce. Sleezer attempted to play a ball out of the penalty area, but first-year Krista Longo ran in front of her. The ball ricocheted off Longo's face and into the Thoroughbreds' net for an insurmountable 3-0 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining in the match.

Sleezer finished the match with 10 saves. William Smith senior Amanda Davis and sophomore Chelsea Dunay combined for the shutout without making a save.

The Herons held decisive advantages in both shots (20-1) and corner kicks (9-1).

With nine straight shutouts to start the season, William Smith matched the string of goose eggs produced by the 2005 Herons. That squad ran its scoreless streak to 871:42. The 2011 team's shutout streak stands at 830:00.

William Smith will be back in action at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 1, when the Herons host Rensselaer (3-5-1, 1-1-0). The Engineers lost at RIT today, 1-0 in overtime. The Thoroughbreds will take on RIT tomorrow at 2 p.m.