GENEVA, N.Y.— Senior Lily Gutch recorded her first career hat trick as the William Smith field hockey team cruised to a 5-2 non-conference victory over Houghton this evening on McCooey Field. With the win, the Herons improve to 7-7 on the season, while the Highlanders fall to 8-4 overall.
 
William Smith put on an impressive performance in the non-conference contest, dominating the stat sheet against Houghton. The Herons held a 34-6 advantage in shots, including a 17-4 edge in shots on target. William Smith also earned three penalty corners while the Highlanders only earned two. Houghton recorded 12 saves in the loss, while William Smith combined for two saves in the win.
 
Gutch led the Herons with six points on three goals in the win. She led the way with a team-high five shots, scoring on all three of her shots on target. Junior Leah Griffith tallied her first goal of the season in the win, while sophomore Eliza Freeland scored the final goal for William Smith. Graduate student Rebecca Mantione, junior Kylee Knuschke and sophomore Mia Batchelder each recorded an assist in the win. Mantione and Batchelder each fired off four shots in the victory.
 
First-year Olivia Terranova played 51:30 in goal for the Herons before sophomore Baker Jeremiah came in for the final 8:30 of the game. Both Terranova and Jeremiah tallied one save each in the win. Terranova improves to 4-5 on the season with the win.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• After a scoreless opening 10 minutes, William Smith would get on the board with Gutch's first goal of the night. A long pass found the stick of Batchelder, who tapped a one-time pass to Gutch. Gutch batted a shot past Annika Galen to grab the early lead.
• The Herons would double their lead at the 22:35 mark after sophomore Ana Dios Vidal beat her defender along the endline and slotted a pass that got cleared out by a Houghton defender. The clear fell to the stick of Griffith who fired off a shot from the top of the arc past the Highlander goalie to give William Smtih a 2-0 lead. It was her first goal of the season.
• 6:16 into the second half, Houghton would strike back to get within one of the Herons. Adria Hartzler cut down the endline and slotted a pass to a wide open Kylee Barshinger in front of net. Barshinger fired a shot past Terranova to get the Highlanders on the board.
• 32 seconds into the third quarter, William Smith would respond off the stick of Gutch again. Senior Zoe Ugarteche led a fast break down the endline and slotted a pass back to a waiting Mantione. Mantione fired off a quick pass to Gutch in front of net who tapped in a shot for her second goal of the night.
• Gutch would strike again just over three minutes later after finding the ball on the sideline and beating her defender one on one. Once by her defender, Gutch fired a shot near post past Amber Cribbs for her third goal of the night and fifth of the year.
• William Smith extended its lead to four in the 51st minute after a scrum in front of the net ended in a Freeland goal. Knuschke was credited with the assist on Freeland's second goal of the season.
• Houghton closed out the scoring less than a minute later after Barshinger grabbed a rebound and fired off a shot past Jeremiah for her second of the day.
• The Herons would control the possession of the remainder of the game, firing off seven more shots before time ran out. William Smith closed out the non-conference contest on top 5-2 to move to 7-7 on the season.

COACHES CORNER:

"I'm really proud of the total team effort today," said Head Coach Sophie Riskie '07. "It was great to see everyone contribute and make an impact on the field. We played with great energy, created a lot of attacking opportunities, and finished well. It was a solid team win and a great way to build momentum heading into the weekend."

UP NEXT:

William Smith will be back in action Friday, Oct. 17, when it welcomes Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (7-4, 1-2 LL) to Geneva for a crucial Liberty League matchup. Action between the Herons and the Engineers is set to begin at 4 p.m. on McCooey Field.