Poughkeepsie, N.Y. – The fifth-ranked William Smith College field hockey team suffered its first loss of the season dropping a Liberty League contest, 3-1, to Vassar this afternoon.
The Herons (9-1, 1-1) got off to a fast start. Sophomore
Hannah Wood had a goal waved off in the second minute.
Maura Moran inserted a penalty corner to the top of the arc that Wood blasted past the Brewers' goalie. However, the goal was negated due to a dangerous deflection in front.
The Brewers (9-2, 2-0) scored in the 20th minute to take a 1-0 lead and never looked back. Lauren Shumate fired home a shot that deflected into the back of the goal.
Just two minutes into the second half, Megan Caveny gave Vassar a 2-0 lead. She collected a cross cage pass from Hayley Beach and pushed the ball across the goal line. In the 52nd minute, Storm Sideleau tucked a shot into the left corner of the net. Lauren Wiebe was credited with an assist on the play.
Just seconds before the Sideleau goal, the Brewers had a golden scoring opportunity turned aside. Junior
Emily Granger was credited with a defensive save on an Emma Bracken shot.
Following Vassar's third goal, William Smith called a timeout. The Herons carried a majority of the play in the final 19 minutes, drawing eight penalty corners. Senior
Madison Finn just missed a scoring opportunity, steering a shot past the left post. In the 60th minute, junior
Alessandra Patrizio beat the Brewers' goalie but had the shot blocked by Ashley Lamere. Lamere was credited with a defensive save on the play. Wood collected the rebound but was stoned by Paige Amico.
The Herons broke through at 63:50 when sophomore
Alexandra Frary notched her fifth goal of the season. Moran inserted the ball to the top of the arc where Frary collected the ball and blasted it into the cage. Moran was credited with an assist on the play.
Junior
Biz Chirco got the start in goal for William Smith and recorded five saves in 64:52 of action. Amico started in goal for Vassar and made five saves.
The Brewers held a 14-12 advantage in shots, while the Herons held a 9-5 advantage in penalty corners.
William Smith will look to bounce back into the win column on Wednesday, Oct. 7 when they face Rochester in a Liberty League contest on McCooey Field.
