The William Smith College field hockey team enters the middle portion of its season as the 12th-ranked team in the country according to the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III Coaches Poll released this afternoon. The Herons, who are 6-2, will travel to Cortland, N.Y., tomorrow before hosting Vassar on Saturday afternoon on McCooey Field.
 
Last week, William Smith opened conference play with an impressive 5-1 victory over Rensselaer in Troy, N.Y. Juniors Hannah Wood (3g, 1a) and Maura Moran (2g, 2a) accounted for all 13 of the Herons points in the game. The hat trick was the sixth of Wood's career and Moran's six points were a career high. In goal, senior Biz Chirco made seven saves as she improved to 6-2 on the year.
 
Offensively, William Smith is led by Wood's 12 goals and 27 points. Moran and senior Alessandra Patrizio are right behind her with 19 points.  Moran leads the team and is second in the conference with seven assists. Entering the week, the Herons offense leads the Liberty League and is sixth in the nation in points per game (11.25) and goals per game (4.25), and is tied for eighth in the nation in assists per game (2.75). Individually, Wood is sixth in the nation in goals per game (1.5) and eighth in points per game (3.38).  Moran is eighth in the nation in assists per game (0.88). In goal, Chirco has played a majority of the minutes and owns a 1.24 goals against average and a .757 save percentage.
 
The Red Dragons enter the week with a 5-3 overall record. On Saturday, Cortland was edged by Skidmore 2-1 in a shootout. The Red Dragons are led by Jessica Welsh and Gabby Stein's 17 points.  Welsh has a team best six goals, while Stein leads the team with seven assists. Cortland is eighth in the nation in assists per game (2.75) and 14th in the nation in points per game (10.25). Kailynne Reinoehl has seen a majority of the action in goal for the Red Dragons and has a goals against average of 0.90 and a save percentage of .879, sixth best in the nation.
 
The Brewers begin the week with an 8-1 overall record and 1-0 mark in conference play. Vassar shutout St. Lawrence 3-0 on Saturday. The Brewers offense is ranked 12th in the nation in points per game (10.33) and 15th in goals per game (3.89). Megan Caveny leads the team with five goals, five assists and 15 points. Vassar's defense has been impressive this year, not allowing a goal in its eight wins. The Brewers lead the nation in goals against average (0.22), save percentage (.929), and shutouts per game (0.89). Paige Amico has been the mainstay in the cage for Vassar and leads the nation in goals against average (0.28) and save percentage (.929).