GENEVA, N.Y.—Forward
Julia Keogh scored a pair of first half goals as third-ranked William Smith rolled to a 3-0 win over Rochester Institute of Technology in a Liberty League semifinal at Cozzens Field this afternoon. With their 14th straight win, the Herons are now 15-1-1 this season.
Sheila McQuillen added a goal and an assist in the victory for William Smith.
Amanda Kesler played 89 minutes in goal, making seven saves.
Kirsten Nelson came on for a minute in the first half after Kesler collided with a RIT forward.
Darcie Jones started in goal for the Tigers (10-5-3) and made one save in her 40 minutes of work. Alyssa Salls came on for the final 50 minutes and made one save.
RIT had the game's first dangerous scoring chance early in the game but was unable to convert as Kesler intercepted a leading pass for Christine Catoaldo-Smith in the seventh minute. Two minutes later, Rebecca Hext fired a shot just over the crossbar.
Keogh opened the scoring with her 17th goal of the season in the 16th minute. She ran onto the end of a long looping pass from
Merilyn Hinrichs and slipped a shot into the lower right-hand corner of the cage. The assist was Hinrichs' seventh of the season. After a flurry of chances from the Tigers, Keogh notched her league-leading 18th goal of the season. She ran onto the end of a through ball from McQuillen, dribbled into the 18-yard box and fired a shot into the lower right corner of the cage. With 18 goals this year, Keogh is tied for second on William Smith's single-season list, two behind Joan Grupp and Ann Haggerty, who share the record.
Four minutes into the second half, McQuillen added an insurance goal. She carried the ball to the end line, turned her defender and chipped a shot that bounced off the crossbar and into the upper right corner. The unassisted goal was her 10th of the season.
William Smith finished the game with a 12-9 edge in shots. The Tigers held a slight 3-2 edge in corner kicks.
The Herons will be back in action tomorrow, Nov. 7, when they take on the winner of today's second semifinal. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. on Cozzens Field.
