GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith soccer team, which is receiving votes in this week's United Soccer Coaches Poll, defeated Ithaca 1-0 in a Liberty League match on Cozzens Field this afternoon.
 
Senior Ruth Hotaling scored her Liberty League-leading seventh goal of the season. Junior Antonia Goerke matched her career-high with eight saves as she earned her sixth shutout of the season.
 
Katrina Varnum played 90 minutes in goal for Ithaca and made five saves.
 
FOR THE RECORD

• William Smith is now 6-2-2 overall with a 2-1-0 mark in Liberty League play.
• The Bombers fall to 3-4-2 on the season with a 0-2-0 mark in league play.

 
KEY STATS

• Both teams finished the game with 14 shots. Ithaca dominated the first 40 minutes, outshooting William Smith 12-0. Including Hotaling's goal, the Herons outshot Ithaca 14-2 in the final 50 minutes.
• The Herons had all seven of the game's corner kicks.

 
MATCH MOMENTS

• While Ithaca controlled most of the opening 45 minutes, their shots were limited to low-danger opportunities outside of the 18-yard box.
• In the eighth minute, Ali Amari had the game's first chance, but her shot from 20 yards out was smothered by Goerke.
• Forty seconds later, after a turnover near midfield, Georke kept a shot from Kaelyn Fernandez out of the net.
• In the 34th minute, Devin Sylvia's shot was blocked by a William Smith defender.
• Hotaling broke the deadlock in the 41st minute. She stepped into a drop pass from sophomore Casey Holstein and chipped a shot over the Ithaca goalie.
• The Herons made adjustments at the halftime break and completely flipped the script on the Bombers.
• Hotaling nearly doubled the Herons' lead in the 60th minute, but her shot was grabbed out of the air by Varnum.
• Two minutes later, sophomore Analise Pilarski had a shot turned aside by the Ithaca goalie.
• In the 69th minute, Varnum had to make a diving stop on a shot from Hotaling.
• Goerke had to make two stops in the second half. She dove to her left to stop a shot from Devin Sylvia and then smothered a free-kick attempt from Margo Kasenchar.
• In the 85th minute, Varnum made a kick save on a shot from Charlotte Brown.

 
COACH'S CORNER
"Today was a huge step for us and this team," Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie '08 said. "It was great to see our fight and willingness to adjust as the game progressed. We were locked in from the start, bought into adjustments at the half and walked away with a great win and a great team shutout. Our depth really showed today and the energy from our bench was consistent and strong. Now we are focused and poised to continue to add on the layers to our game for Saturday."
 
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 4, when it welcomes Clarkson to Cozzens Field. The Homecoming and Family Weekend game is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.