Box Score TROY, N.Y.—Junior Julia Simmons scored three second half goals to lead No. 11 William Smith College to a 4-2 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a Liberty League field hockey match at Renwyck Field. The Herons clinched at least a share of their 11th conference regular season title and secured the top seed in the four-team Liberty League Tournament.

Senior Annie Kietzman added a goal and an assist for the Herons (12-2, 5-0 Liberty League). Her helper gives her 17 for the season, matching Liz Saucier's 2006 single season record. Kietzman is also tied for the team lead in goals with 14. Junior Melanie O'Connor and sophomore Caitlin Moran each earned an assist.

Sophomore goalie Catherine Hare improved to 10-0 with one save in 58:31 and senior Taryn Little made two stops in relief.

The Engineers (7-6, 3-2) opened the scoring 11:59 into the contest when senior Alissa Peterson scored off a pass from classmate Holly Dupuis to finish a counter-attack. It was Peterson's eighth goal of the season.

The Herons tied the score at 23:48 when Kietzman directed a pass from O'Connor into the back of the cage. 

The visitors held a 12-2 advantage in first half shots and a 6-3 edge in penalty corners.

Simmons erupted for a career-high three goals in less than 10 minutes. She put William Smith in front when she picked up a loose ball and scored her sixth goal of the season at 43:49. Her next two goals came just 1:35 apart. Simmons scored her second goal of the game off a deflected shot by Moran at 52:03. She then put a shot on goal that RPI sophomore keeper Hannah Clough reached but could not get enough of it to stop it from going over the goal line. Kietzman was credited with an assist on the strike, tying the six-year old season record.

Rensselaer pulled to within two goals, when Dupuis notched her sixth of the season off a rebound at the 62:38 mark. The Engineers sustained pressure following their second goal, at one point earning six straight penalty corners, but they could not score again.

Clough finished with 12 saves for the Engineers.

William Smith will attempt to win the league title outright when it travels to Vassar College (7-6, 0-4) for a league contest that begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 20.