NFHCA Coaches Poll

For the third week in a row, the William Smith College field hockey team is ranked 11th in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll. The Herons are 14-3 and won their 11th Liberty League regular season championship with a 6-0 mark against the conference.
 
William Smith is the top seed in the Liberty League Tournament, which begins on Thursday, Nov. 1. The Herons will welcome fourth-seeded Rensselaer to McCooey Field for a 5 p.m. match. William Smith defeated the Engineers 4-2 in Troy, N.Y., on Oct. 19. Junior Julia Simmons produced a second half hat trick to lead the Herons to victory.
 
Senior forward Annie Kietzman leads William Smith with 15 goals and 17 assists for 47 points. Her assist total is tied for the most in a season by a Heron. In 72 career matches, Kietzman has 41 goals and 37 assists for 119 points. She ranks third in career assists, two off the record, fifth in career points, and ninth in career goals.
 
Five other Herons have reached double digits in points this season and 12 players have produced at least one goal. Defensively, sophomore goalie Catherine Hare is 12-1 with a 1.17 goals against average and a .762 save percentage.
 
The other Liberty League semifinal features two nationally ranked teams. No. 19 Rochester (15-4) hosts No. 14 Skidmore (13-4) at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 1. The Yellowjackets topped the Thoroughbreds 3-1 in their regular season meeting on Oct. 5 in Rochester.
 
Thursday's winners will play for the Liberty League Tournament Championship on Saturday, Nov. 3 on the campus of the highest remaining seed.