GENEVA, N.Y.— The William Smith field hockey team dropped a crucial conference matchup this afternoon as it fell 1-0 in overtime to Ithaca on McCooey Field. With the loss, the Herons fall to 9-8 on the season with a 3-3 mark in conference play, while the Bombers improve to 11-5 overall and 4-3 in the Liberty League.
 
The thrilling conference matchup saw a back-and-forth battle between William Smith and Ithaca. The Bombers held a 9-4 advantage in shots, including a 4-3 edge in shots on target in the rivalry game. The Herons earned four penalty corners compared to Ithaca's two, while both sides made three saves each.
 
Sophomore Caroline Kogut led William Smith with two shots and a defensive save in the loss. Four other Herons fired off one shot each with sophomores Mia Batchelder, Ana Dios Vidal and Hadley Harbert landing their shots on target.
 
First-year Olivia Terranova played 60:33 in goal for William Smith and tallied two saves in the loss. She is now 6-6 on the season.

MATCH MOMENTS:

• Ithaca nearly opened the scoring in the seventh minute after being awarded a penalty corner. Mia Woodward fired off a shot that was originally blocked by a Heron defender. The rebound fell to Aubrey McMahon who slipped a shot past Terranova, but Kogut was there to swipe the ball off the line and keep the game tied at 0-0.
• William Smith had a scoring chance as the time expired in the opening quarter, but Kogut's shot missed just wide.
• The Herons put on the pressure in the second quarter, firing off four shots and earning one penalty corner but Ithaca's Maeve Clark stood tall and kept William Smith off the board.
• The back-and-forth battle continued in the second half as both sides traded possession and momentum of the game.
• Ithaca nearly got on the board in the 45th minute as Caroline Folan fired off a shot but Terranova came up big with a save to keep the game scoreless.
• The final 15 minutes remained scoreless as both sides fought for possession, forcing overtime in the conference thriller.
• Just 33 seconds into overtime, the Bombers would get all the offense it would need as a fast break turned into an Eliza Ballaro goal. Ithaca would close out the Liberty League matchup on top 1-0 to move to 4-3 in conference play.

COACHES CORNER:

"Losing in the first minute of overtime stings, no question," said Head Coach Sophie Riskie. "But I'm proud of how we battled all game. We showed grit, heart, and discipline. This one will make us stronger – we'll take the lessons and be ready for the next opportunity."

UP NEXT:

William Smith will be back in action Wednesday, Oct. 29, when it hosts the University of Rochester in its last regular season home match. The crucial conference showdown is set for 6 p.m. on McCooey Field.