SCRANTON, Pa.—The William Smith soccer team defeated Trinity (Texas) 1-0 in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Sectional Championship on Scranton's Weiss Field this afternoon. With the win, the Herons are now 16-3-4 overall and advance to their 12th national semifinals.
 
First-year Nell Dwyer scored the goal for the Herons in the 58th minute. Graduate student Kirsten Nelson played all 90 minutes in goal and made one save as she recorded her 11th shutout of the season.
 
Lauryn Lewis played all 90 minutes in goal for the Tigers. She made five saves. Trinity finishes the season with an 18-3-3 overall record.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• William Smith dominated the stat sheet finishing the game with an advantage in shots and corner kicks.
• After an evenly played first 45 minutes, the Herons finished the game with a 16-6 advantage in shots, including a 9-1 edge in the second half.
• The Herons had eight corner kicks and the Tigers had one.

 
MATCH MOMENTS

• Trinity's lone shot on goal of the game came in the 34th minute. Bri Werner fired a slow roller on cage that Nelson scooped up.
• After the break William Smith ramped up the pressure. In the 51st minute, junior Ruth Hotaling ripped a shot off the crossbar.
• Junior Kaleigh Darby chipped the rebound just over the crossbar.
• Hotaling had another chance in the 54th minute, but it was turned aside by a diving Lewis.
• Four minutes later, Dwyer broke the deadlock. She headed home a Hotaling corner kick. It was her second goal of the season.  
• Senior Marjorie Plants nearly made it 2-0, but her shot from the top of the 18-yard box was turned aside by Lewis at the last second.
• In the 71st minute, Moira van der Putt had a shot that nearly snuck under the crossbar but was punched away at the last second by the goalie. 

 
POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE



UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Dec. 6, when it heads to Las Vegas for the national semifinals. The Herons will take on Emory in one of two semifinals at UNLV's Peter Johann Memorial Field.