GENEVA, N.Y.—Sophomore
Julia Keogh's goal in the 89th minute lifted the ninth-ranked William Smith College soccer team to a 2-1 victory over No. 14 Amherst College on Boswell Field in the third round of the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. The Herons will face Williams College at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18 in the quarterfinal round.
William Smith (17-3-0) started the decisive play in their defensive zone. A Heron defender headed a Mammoth throw in to the feet of sophomore
Merilyn Hinrichs, who took one touch and then sent a 20-yard pass to Keogh at midfield. Keogh used a burst of speed to beat one Amherst defender near midfield and dribbled up the right sideline. As she moved into the penalty area, her defender continued to backpedal, giving her a one-on-one with Mammoth goalkeeper Antonia Tammaro. Keogh feinted to her left and cut the ball back to her right foot and unleashed a shot that beat Tammaro to her right. It was Keogh's seventh goal of the season and fourth game winner.
The Toronto native also set up William Smith's first goal of the day. In the 21st minute, she sent a cross from the right wing to senior
Megan Barwick, who stopped the pass with her left foot as she lost her balance. Falling away from the goal, she used her right foot to poke the ball into the lower right corner of the cage for her team-leading 10th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Both Tammaro and Heron senior
Veronica Romines made three saves in the opening 45 minutes to keep it a one-goal game.
Like William Smith in the first half, Amherst commanded the tempo in the early going of the second half. Seniors Maeve McNamara, Caleigh Plaut and Rubii Tamen teamed up to even the match in the 51st minute. McNamara played a quick throw-in to Plaut, who took one touch and centered the ball to a streaking Tamen. Amherst's leading scorer beat a charging Romines for her 16th goal of the year.
The Mammoths (15-3-2) continued to pressure the Heron defense, but Romines and her teammates refused to yield. The San Diego native finished the day with seven saves to improve to 12-1-0 on the season.
William Smith seemed to find a second wind in the final 10 minutes of the match, breaking out of their defensive end to put Tammaro (7 saves) and Amherst under pressure, setting up Keogh's game winner.
Both teams finished the afternoon with 14 shots while the Herons had a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.
