TROY, N.Y.—William Smith College sophomore goalkeeper Alexandra DeVito made seven saves, but the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute field hockey team scored twice in the second half to defeat the Herons in a critical Liberty League contest at Harkness Field. With the victory, Rensselaer (4-10) improves to 3-3 in the conference and controls its opportunity to qualify for the four-team Liberty League Tournament. William Smith drops to 2-4 in the league and 5-9 overall.
 
After a scoreless first half that saw both take three shots, senior Taylor Clink put RPI in front 4:51 into the second frame when she converted a Casey Collette insertion on a penalty corner. First-year Kaitlyn Stulen knocked in a rebound for an insurance goal in the 50th minute.
 
Senior goalkeeper Rachel Kaufman had two saves, while DeVito stopped one shot. Kaufman had to turn back one shot in the second half to pick up the shutout.
 
The final shot total favored Rensselaer, 19-8, while the Engineers had a 13-6 advantage in penalty corners.
 
William Smith will return home to host No. 9 Vassar College (13-1, 6-0) on Sunday, Oct. 21. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on McCooey Field. The Herons must beat the Brewers to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Liberty League Tournament alive and then get the league's tie-breakers to fall in their favor. Sunday's final league matches have the potential to create a five-way tie for the final two spots in the field.