CANTON, N.Y.— The William Smith field hockey team got back in the win column this afternoon as the Herons defeated St. Lawrence 4-3 in a Liberty League matchup in the North Country. With the win, the Herons move to 6-9 overall with a 2-3 mark in conference play, while the Saints fall to 5-8 overall and 2-3 in the Liberty League.
Four different Herons scored in the crucial conference win this afternoon. First-year Ana Dios Vidal opened the scoring for William Smith with her first career goal. Junior Kristen Newman tallied the second goal of her career before first-year Caroline Kogut extended the Herons lead to 3-0 with her team-leading eighth goal of the season. Sophomore Leah Griffith was credited with the game-winning goal on her third tally of the season.
St. Lawrence held a 14-11 edge in shots against William Smith, but the Herons had an 8-5 advantage in shots on goal. William Smith registered five of its 11 shots in the final 15 minutes to earn the crucial conference victory. The Saints also earned a slight advantage in penalty corners, earning eight compared to the Herons seven.
First-year Baker Jeremiah played all 60 minutes in goal for William Smith and recorded two saves in the win. She is now 6-9 on the season.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- The Herons opened the scoring 3:27 into the game after being awarded a penalty corner. Sophomore Ava Vecchione inserted the ball to Dios Vidal at the top of the arc who beat one defender and slotted a shot to the near post giving William Smith a 1-0 lead.
- William Smith doubled its lead in the 21st minute after the Herons broke out in a counterattack. Junior Lily Gutch fired a long pass in front of goal that found the stick of sophomore Kylee Knuschke. A scramble in front of goal found the ball at the stick of Newman who tapped home a shot past the Saints goalie.
- Just under two minutes later, the Herons would strike again off a penalty corner. Senior Hannah Huston inserted the ball to Kogut at the top of the arc who fired off a shot that beat Vredenberg for her eighth goal of the season.
- St. Lawrence responded with under two minutes remaining in the first half. The Saints capitalized off a penalty corner of their own as Suzanna L'Hommedieu fired off a shot that beat Jeremiah. Maddy Shaw was credited with the assist.
- The Saints made it a one-goal game after Hannah Gubbins finished off a cross from Caroline Hamilton in the 40th minute.
- 10 minutes later, William Smith regained its two-goal lead. Junior Abby Jones found a cutting Griffith in front of goal who beat her defender one-on-one and fired a shot to the right side of the goal. Griffith would eventually be credited with the game-winning goal.
- St. Lawrence made things interesting with less than three minutes remaining as Maggie Spire sent a long pass across the face of the goal. The ball found the stick of Lily Gubbins who fired a shot near post past Jeremiah to bring the Saints within one.
- William Smith maintained possession of the ball for the remainder of the game and fired off two more shots in the final three minutes. The Herons used the clock to their advantage and closed out the afternoon with a win on the road.
COACHES CORNER:
"We had a very strong start to the game, finishing our opportunities in the circle early which was great to see," said Head Coach Sophie Riskie '07. "St. Lawrence came out strong in the second half and maintained a lot of possession. The Herons stood strong defensively in the final stretch. It was great to see scoring from four different Herons today!"
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Oct. 25, when it welcomes Vassar to Geneva for a Liberty league showdown. Action between the Herons and the Brewers is set for 4 p.m. on McCooey Field.
