GENEVA, N.Y.—The 15th-ranked William Smith College field hockey team scored a 3-1 upset of fourth-ranked Skidmore College. Junior Margaret McConnell netted a pair of goals and sophomore goalie Catherine Hare made eight saves to lead the Herons to their ninth straight win.
 
William Smith (10-1, 4-0) needed less than three minutes to open the scoring. On a penalty corner, senior Annie Kietzman sent the insertion to the top of the circle where junior Morgan Atanasio stopped it for McConnell, who drove it home for a 1-0 lead.
 
Less than four minutes later, the Thoroughbreds answered with a penalty corner goal of their own. Annie Weis and Hilary Cranston assisted on Kelly Blackhurst's equalizer.
 
The Herons reclaimed the lead in the 23rd minute, when McConnell finished a scramble in front by tapping home a shot near the right post.
 
In the 54th minute, Kietzman earned her second assist of the match, setting up junior Julia Simmons' insurance goal. Kietzman has a league-leading 16 assists with six games remaining in the regular season. The Heron record for assists in a campaign is 17 set by Liz Saucier '07 in 2006.
 
The 3-1 deficit prompted Skidmore to call a timeout. Just a few seconds later, Alex Hagney put a shot on frame that junior Melanie O'Connor stopped for a defensive save, preserving the two-goal lead.
 
In the 63rd minute, William Smith nearly added a fourth goal, but Jenn Hanks made a defensive save, clearing O'Connor's shot off the goal line.
 
Skidmore goalie Haley McDougall finished the match with four saves. The Thoroughbreds outshot the Herons 18-12 and had a 13-5 edge in penalty corners.
 
Skidmore (9-3, 3-2) lost for the second consecutive day and for the third time in four matches. William Smith ended a five-match losing streak to the Thoroughbreds, topping Skidmore for the first time since Nov. 3, 2007.
 
With two games remaining on the conference schedule, the Herons are alone in first place, a game ahead of Rochester (10-3, 3-1) and a game and a half better than Rensselaer (6-4, 2-1).
 
William Smith will take a break from conference play, traveling to Cortland on Wednesday, Oct. 10 for a 4:30 p.m. start. The Thoroughbreds will also step away from league action, visiting Utica at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.