CANTON, N.Y.- Three second half goals carried the 19th-ranked William Smith College field hockey team past St. Lawrence 4-1 on North Country Field this afternoon. The win clinches the Herons a spot in the four-team Liberty League Tournament.
 
William Smith (11-4, 4-1) spread the offense around this afternoon with three players scoring goals. Junior Hannah Wood led the way with two goals, while junior Alexandra Frary and sophomore Sierramarie Fitzgerald each finished the game with three points (1g, 1a).
 
St. Lawrence (5-9, 1-4) had the first two major scoring opportunities of the game in the seventh minute when Lucy Stillman had two point-blank shots turned aside by William Smith goalie Biz Chirco. Stillman's offensive persistence paid off when she pocketed the game's opening score in the 14th min. She collected a short pass from Anna Hughes inside the left post and slapped a shot past Chirco.
 
The Herons battled back, tying the game in the 22nd minute when Wood notched her first goal of the contest. She received a crossing pass from senior Cydney Conley and blasted a shot past Julia Hudson, the St. Lawrence goalie.
 
At the 35 minute mark, William Smith earned two penalty corners but were unable to convert on golden scoring opportunities. On the first corner Frary's shot was stoned by Hudson's right leg pad, and on the ensuing corner, Frary just missed the left post with a shot.
 
William Smith controlled the majority of the play in the first half, finishing the first 35 minutes with a 13-4 edge in shots.
 
The Herons continued to gain momentum in the second half recording the first five shots of the half while earning three penalty corners.
 
William Smith broke the deadlock in the 56th minute when Fitzgerald tallied her third goal of the season. Standing on the left post after a penalty corner, she poked home a shot by Frary from the point to give the Herons a 2-1 lead. Less than two minutes later, Frary notched a goal of her own. She pounced on a rebound and buried the shot past Hudson. The goal was her fifth of the season.
 
Wood closed out the scoring in the 65th minute with her team-leading 22nd goal of the season. Fitzgerald was awarded the assist after sending a crossing pass along the goal line to Wood. With 73 career goals, Wood is now 16 goals behind Sophie Riskie '07 on the program's all-time list. Wood's 162 career points are 55 behind Riskie.
 
The win marks the first time that the Herons have rallied to defeat an opponent this season. William Smith dominated the final stat sheet outshooting the Saints 32-8 while earning 14 penalty corners to St. Lawrence's three.
 
The Herons will wrap-up Liberty League play on Sunday when they host No. 14 Skidmore on McCooey Field. If William Smith knocks off the Thouroughbreds, it will lock up the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. St. Lawrence will face Rochester on Sunday. Both games are scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.