The William Smith College field hockey team will open conference play Wednesday, Sept. 20, when it welcomes the University of Rochester in a rematch of last year's Liberty League Championship game. The Herons are set to take on the nationally-ranked Yellowjackets at 7 p.m. on McCooey Field.
 
Wednesday's contest between William Smith and Rochester will be Spirit Night. HWS Student Activities will have giveaways for HWS students at the game with their student IDs.

Fans who cannot make it to McCooey Field on Wednesday, can follow the action with HWS All-Access Video and Live Stats. The game will be broadcast on WHWS-FM (105.7 in Geneva).
 
ABOUT THE HERONS

• William Smith (4-3) is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss to SUNY Cortland on Saturday. First-year Leah Griffith scored the Herons' lone goal.
• Graduate student Kate Barilla was named to the Liberty League Weekly Honor Roll after two strong performances last week, recording one assist and one defensive save.
• Senior Sofia Pattillo (3G, 2A) leads the Herons with eight points, followed by junior Rebecca Mantione (2G, 2A) with six. Seniors Libby Maxwell (2G, 1A) and Alaura Enright (2G, 1A) have both recorded five points each.
• Senior goalie Kristen McCormick has a slight edge in minutes in goal for the Herons, securing a 1.73 goals against average, a .680 save percentage, and a 3-2 record. Fellow senior Brittany Foster is 1-1 in goal, with a 1.61 GAA, a .556 save percentage and one shutout. 

ABOUT THE YELLOWJACKETS

• Rochester (3-3) is coming off a 1-0 loss to Salisbury University on Sunday.
• Maeve Fogarty (4G, 1A) leads the Yellowjackets with nine points.
• Kara Houston is 3-3 in goal for Rochester. She has a 0.59 GAA, a .902 save percentage and two shutouts.

SERIES HISTORY

• Wednesday's matchup will be the 60th meeting between the Herons and the Yellowjackets.
• William Smith leads the series 43-15-1, with a 24-6 edge in Geneva.
• In their last meeting on Nov. 6, 2022, the Herons defeated the Yellowjackets after 60 minutes of regulation and two overtime periods in a shootout. Emily Leonard converted the games only successful penalty shot to crown William Smith conference champions for the first time since 2015.