Box Score GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College field hockey team left no doubt about the outcome of tonight's Senior Night game against Nazareth College, defeating the Golden Flyers 7-0 on McCooey Field. Senior Taylor Cappello led the scoring with a season-high seven points on three goals and an assist.
 
Classmate Margaret McConnell matched her career-high with a pair of goals, while fellow senior Morgan Atanasio matched her career-high with two assists. First-year Alessandra Patrizio notched a goal and an assist. Junior Sarah Tompson scored once and junior Kayla Littler and sophomore Madison Finn each recorded a single assist.
 
In goal, first-year Biz Chirco earned the win without making a save in 55:36, while classmate Amy Feda recorded a pair of stops to complete the shutout.
 
Nazareth's Shannon Winney went the distance in goal, making 15 saves.
 
Ranked 11th in the nation in the latest coaches poll, William Smith opened the scoring in the 18th minute on a penalty corner. The Herons used tic-tac-toe passing to work the ball from the top of the arc to Atanasio, who fed Cappello at the back post. She swept it home for a 1-0 lead. In the 25th minute, Cappello struck again, this time pouncing on a rebound for an easy score on a wide-open cage.
 
Nazareth had its best scoring chance of the match a few minutes later, when the Golden Flyers were able to send a bouncing pass from the right side of the cage past Chirco. Nazareth had a player at the back post, but her attempt to sweep the ball into the cage came up empty.
 
William Smith (13-3) carried a 3-0 lead into halftime thanks to Patrizio and Finn. The latter sent a cross in from the left that the former flipped over the closing Winney. It was Patrizio's sixth goal of the season. The Heron lead could have been more, but for a couple of defensive saves by senior Hannah Weitzel. She added another in the second half to finish the day with three.
 
In the 46th minute, McConnell ripped a shot off a rebound that found the back of the cage and gave William Smith a 4-0 lead. In the 50th minute, the Herons converted on another penalty corner. This time Tompson drove home the goal, assisted by Atanasio and Cappello.
 
Seventy-nine seconds later, Cappello closed out her hat trick, diving to get a stick on a pass that Patrizio had to dive to make. Cappello now has a team-high 14 goals. For her career, she became just the fifth Heron to record 50 career goals, moving past Jackie Hall '02 into fifth place with 51 goals. Cappello also passed Kaitlyn Hamilton '10 into eighth place on the career points list with 116.
 
McConnell put an exclamation point on the victory that raised William Smith's record to 10-0 on McCooey Field this season, blasting home a penalty corner goal from the top of the arc. Littler earned the assist.
 
William Smith enjoyed a 34-4 advantage in shots and an 18-2 edge in penalty corners.
 
The Herons will close out the regular season on Saturday, Nov. 2, when they visit No. 13 Messiah. That match is scheduled to begin at noon. The Golden Flyers (4-13) will travel to Washington & Jefferson on the same day for a 1 p.m. match.