GENEVA, N.Y.—For the 13th consecutive season, William Smith College has captured the Liberty League Women's Soccer Tournament Championship. The top seeded Herons continued their dominance of the league with a 1-0 triumph over third-seeded Vassar College on Cozzens Field this afternoon.
Junior midfielder
Amanda Adams, who assisted on the game-winning goal in Saturday's semifinal win over St. Lawrence and played a strong all-around game all weekend, was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer.
Ranked second in the nation, the Herons (15-1-1) controlled possession throughout the match. William Smith enjoyed a 60-40 edge in possession time, spending nearly 75 percent of their possession time in the attacking end of the field. That possession time translated into a 23-0 advantage in shots. It's the second time this season the Herons have prevented an opponent from getting a single shot.
William Smith brought wave after wave of pressure in the opening half, breaking through in the 43rd minute. After earning a corner kick, the Herons played the ball in toward the near post. Brewer goalie Fiona Walsh punched the ball out, but first-year
Julia Berg headed it from the penalty spot. The shot beat Walsh, but Vassar's Emma Trasatti had her back, clearing it off the line. The ball came down inside the six and senior
Eileen Rath popped a shot up into the top of the goal over Trasatti's header attempt.
William Smith fired off 13 first half shots, but Walsh kept things close with four of her five saves before the break. The Herons had a few quality scoring chances in the second half, but were unable to pad their lead. It didn't matter since William Smith's stout back line completely derailed the Vassar attack.
The loss drops the Brewers' record to 10-8-1.
The Herons have won 13 Liberty League Championships and 17 of the 25 that have been contested since the league was founded in 1995.
As the Liberty League Tournament Champion, William Smith receives the conference's automatic bid into the 64-team NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. It will be the program's NCAA record 30th tournament appearance. The entire tournament field and pairings as well as the 16 first round hosts will be announced on NCAA.com at 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11.
