For the third straight week, the William Smith College soccer team is ranked fourth in the United Soccer Coaches poll. In addition, the Herons moved up one spot to No. 6 in the D3soccer.com poll.
 
William Smith (8-1-1, 4-0-0) extended its winning streak to four games with shutout victories over Ithaca and Clarkson last week. On Wednesday, senior Elizabeth Moore scored in the 85th minute to lift the Herons to a 1-0 victory over the Bombers. On Saturday, William Smith scored four times in the second half to collect a 5-0 victory over the Golden Knights.
 
Entering the week, William Smith's defensive unit has been among the best in the nation. The Herons have allowed a Liberty League low three goals and rank sixth in the nation in goals against average (0.29). Only two teams have allowed fewer goals this season. William Smith has limited its opponents to 5.8 shots per game. Sophomore Amanda Kesler has played a majority of the minutes in goal for the Herons. She is 8-1-1 with a .870 save percentage and a 0.30 goals against average with six shutouts. She ranks ninth in the nation in GAA.
 
Offensively, the Herons have used a balanced attack this season with 15 players having at least one point and six players with two or more goals. William Smith is led by juniors Sheila McQuillen (3g, 1a) and Merilyn Hinrichs (2g, 3a) who have seven points each.
 
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., to take on Vassar.  The Brewers are 5-5-1 overall and 2-1-0 in Liberty League play. Vassar was edged by Skidmore 3-1 last Saturday. Emma Tanner and Savannah Cutler are tied for the team lead with 11 points on four goals and three assists. Fiona Walsh has played a majority of the minutes in goal. She is 5-5-1 with a 1.64 GAA and a .710 save percentage.
 
Saturday's game will be the 24th overall meeting between William Smith and Vassar. The Herons hold a 21-1-1 lead in the series and a 9-0-0 edge in Poughkeepsie. The Brewers won last year's meeting 1-0.
 
Fans who cannot be in attendance can follow the game with Live Stats and Video.