GENEVA, N.Y.- The 18th-ranked William Smith College field hockey rolled to an 8-1 non-conference victory over Nazareth on McCooey Field this evening. The Herons recorded nine assists in tonight's contest surpassing the previous program record of seven in a game which had been accomplished six times.
 
Junior Sierramarie Fitzgerald had the hot stick tonight for William Smith, recording six points on two goals and two assists. Junior Fallon Adair was right behind her tallying five points on two goals and an assist. Seniors Alexandra Frary and Maura Moran each finished the night with two assists while senior Hannah Wood pocketed two goals. Nazareth's goalie, Kimber Nourse, made a game-high 17 saves in the loss.
 
Fitzgerald opened the scoring for the Herons (4-1) in the ninth minute. She collected a crossing pass from Frary and fired the shot past Nourse and into the goal. Wood scored the Herons next two goals off of penalty corners. In the 16th minute, she completed a give-and-go with Frary at the top of the arc and blasted a shot into the goal. In the 23rd minute, Wood wound up and fired a shot into the back of the net. Junior Samantha Petruzzo and Moran were credited with assists on the goal as the corner's stopper and inserter, respectively. The goal was Wood's 83rd of her career. She now needs six goals to tie Assistant Coach Sophie Riskie '07 at the top of the all-time list.
 
Adair and Fitzgerald came out of the halftime break flying. Combined, they were responsible for William Smith's next three goals. In the 38th minute, Fitzgerald collected her own rebound, spun around, and found Adair on the back post. Adair redirected the shot into the back of the net. Thirty-two seconds later Adair returned the favor finding Fitzgerald with a crossing pass. Fitzgerald's fourth goal of the season gave the Herons a 5-0 lead. Adair struck again in the 43rd minute. She hit Fitzgerald's shot out of mid-air and into the goal. Following the outburst, Fitzgerald now has four goals, three assists, and 11 points on the season, all career-highs. Adair brings her season total to eight assists and 16 points, which are also career-highs.
 
Sophomore Kelsey Pierce scored her second goal of the season, blasting home a penalty corner in the 47th minute. Moran was credited with an assist on the goal. First-year Katherine Vangaever scored her first collegiate goal in the 68th minute, collecting a loose ball behind Nourse and sending it across the goal line. Sophomore Elizabeth Carlson was credited with an assist.
 
Jennifer Hilts broke the shutout for Nazareth (1-4) in the 66th minute.
 
Tonight's game was just the seventh time in program history that the Herons had scored more than seven goals in a game and the first time since Aug. 30, 2013.
 
William Smith dominated possession throughout the game earning a 37-6 edge in shots. The Herons also held a 15-2 edge in penalty corners.
 
Nourse was spectacular in goal for the Golden Flyers, stopping 17 shots in 70 minutes.  Senior Emily King started in goal for William Smith and made four saves in the opening 35 minutes.  First-year Alexandra DeVito made one stop in the second half.
 
The Herons will be back in action this weekend, Sept. 16-17 when they host the annual William Smith Classic on McCooey Field. William Smith will take on Manhattanville on Saturday at 11 a.m., before closing out the weekend against Lebanon Valley on Sunday at 2 p.m.