GENEVA, N.Y. – The sixth-ranked William Smith College field hockey team defeated Rochester 3-1 to capture its 11th Liberty League Championship. Sophomore Alexandra Frary scored the game-tying goal and was named Tournament MVP.

The Yellowjackets (16-5) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Michelle Relin redirected the shot for her 19th goal of the year. Tiffany White lofted a shot over Biz Chirco's head that Relin got her stick on and tapped into the goal.

Frary tied the game for William Smith (17-2) in the 14th minute. She collected a loose ball in the left side of the attacking circle, dribbled around two defenders and backhanded a shot past the Rochester goalie, Tara Lamberti. Frary's strong on ball presence created the scoring opportunity.

Sophomore Maura Moran scored her sixth goal of the year in the 20th minute to give the Herons a 2-1 lead. Junior Alessandra Patrizio tapped a pass back to Moran at the top of the arc. Moran fired a seeing eye shot past Lamberti.

Lamberti kept Rochester in the game, making seven saves in the first half. In the 17th minute, she made a pair of sprawling saves on shots by Heron first-year Fallon Adair.

In the final minute of the first half, Relin had a golden scoring opportunity taken away by Madison Finn. Finn now has nine defensive saves on the season.

William Smith turned up the offensive pressure in the second half. The Herons fired 14 shots on cage including the first eight of the half. In the 47th minute,Patrizio notched her 21st goal of the season. She collected a rebound in front of the cage and slapped a shot past Lamberti.

The Yellowjackets had a couple of scoring opportunites in the closing minutes of the game but Chirco stood tall to keep Rochester at bay. Relin fired three quick shots but could not beat the Herons' goalie.

Frary was named the tournament's most valuable player after notching an assist in Wednesday's win over Vassar and the game-tying goal in today's contest. She also played solid on both ends of the field as William Smith allowed just one goal in two games.

The Herons held a 26-12 advantage in shots and a 9-5 edge in penalty corners.

Chirco stopped eight shots in goal for William Smith. Lamberti started in goal for the Yellowjackets and made 13 saves. She was placed on the all-tournament team.
The Herons last Liberty League Championship came in 2012 when they defeated Rochester 3-1 on McCooey Field.

In addition to the championship, William Smith earns an automatic bid into the 24-team NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship. The complete field will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 10:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.

All-Tournament Team
M: Alexandra Frary (MVP), William Smith
G: Tara Lamberti, Rochester
D: Madison Finn, William Smith
D: Emily Granger, William Smith
D: Cydney Conley, William Smith
D: Kathryn Montgomery, Rochester
M: Sayaka Abe, Rochester
F: Hannah Wood, William Smith
F: Michelle Relin, Rochester
F: Alessandra Patrizio, William Smith
F: Nicole Cerza, Rochester