The William Smith College field hockey team remained at No. 18 in the latest Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. The Herons will open Liberty League play on Saturday, Sept. 23, when they take on 16th-ranked Rochester at noon on McCooey Field.
 
William Smith (6-1) is led offensively by senior Hannah Wood. She has recorded a Liberty League leading 11 goals and 25 points through the first seven games of the season. Wood is fourth in the nation in goals per game (1.57) and sixth in points per game (3.57). Junior Fallon Adair is second on the team with 19 points, thanks in large part to her nation's best nine assists. Junior Sierramarie Fitzgerald is third on the team with four goals and 11 points. The Herons' offensive unit has been firing on all cylinders to start the season. William Smith is second in the nation in assists per game (3.86), fifth in points per game (12.86) and seventh in goals per game (4.57).
 
First-year Alexandra DeVito and senior Emily King have split time in goal. DeVito is 3-1 with a 1.41 goals against average and a .615 save percentage. King is 3-0 and owns a 1.46 goals against average and a .737 save percentage.
 
The Yellowjackets bring a 5-2 record into this weekend's game. Rochester's last two games have gone to overtime, including Tuesday night's 1-0 loss to Cortland. Claire Dickerson leads the Yellowjackets with eight goals and 16 points. Dickerson is 15th in the nation in goals per game (1.33). Olivia Denny, Nancy Bansbach, and Colleen Maillie are tied for second on the team with six points (2g, 2a) each. Kiran Sundaram has seen a majority of the minutes in goal for Rochester. She is 4-1 with a 0.75 goals against average and a .625 save percentage. Sundaram's goals against average is the 12th in the nation.
 
In a series that dates back to 1974, William Smith is 40-9-1 against Rochester. The Herons hold a 23-2 edge in Geneva. In each of the past five seasons, the teams have met twice.
 
Entering the first weekend of league play, Skidmore joins the Herons and Yellowjackets in the poll. The Thoroughbreds (4-2) are 11th.