CANTON, N.Y. –The William Smith field hockey dropped a thrilling conference matchup this afternoon, falling to St. Lawrence 2-1 on the road. With the loss, the Herons fell to 6-8 on the season and 1-2 in the Liberty League, while the Saints improved to 5-6 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
The thrilling conference battle saw William Smith outshoot St. Lawrence 30-11, including a 14-9 advantage in shots on target. The Herons earned 14 penalty corners compared to the Saints' nine, while St. Lawrence made 13 saves compared to William Smith's six.
Junior Caroline Kogut scored the lone goal for the Herons in the loss. Senior Ava Vecchione was credited with the assist. Kogut fired off a team-leading eight shots, while junior Ana Dios Vidal followed with five shots, landing four on target. Vecchione and senior Leah Griffith added four shots each in the loss.
Sophomore Olivia Terranova played 53 minutes in goal for William Smith and made six saves in the loss. Terranova is now 6-6 on the season.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- The Saints grabbed the early momentum, earning two early penalty corners but couldn't create any threatening scoring opportunities in the opening minutes. William Smith responded with three penalty corners of their own, but Stella Gizzi made two early saves to keep the Herons off the board.
- At the 8:04 mark, St. Lawrence was awarded a penalty stroke after a Saints counterattack led to a Heron foul. Maddy Shaw stepped up to the spot, but Terranova made a big save to keep the game tied 0-0.
- The two sides traded possessions in the midfield until the 26:25 mark when the Saints broke the deadlock. Lily Gubbins slipped a past through the Heron defense to Hannah Gubbins. Gubbins slotted a shot past a rushing Terranova to give St. Lawrence a 1-0 lead.
- William Smith came out strong in the second half, generating seven shots and earning three penalty corners but Gizzi made three stops to keep the Herons off the board heading into the final quarter.
- The Herons continued to apply the pressure in the opening minutes of the final quarter, but a fast break opportunity would end in the Saints doubling their lead. Lily Gubbins sparked the fast break down the sideline and slotted a cross to Hannah Gubbins who tapped a shot past Terranova to give St. Lawrence a 2-0 lead.
- William Smith responded well, firing off five straight shots but Gizzi and the St. Lawrence defense stood tall to keep the Herons off the board. The Saints nearly added to their lead in the 56th minute but Maddy Shaw's shot was swiped off the line by senior Ava Vecchione to keep it a two goal game.
- The Herons finally broke through in the 58th minute after being awarded a penalty corner. Griffith inserted the ball to Vecchione at the top or the arc. Vecchione took a touch and passed the ball to Kogut who ripped a shot past Gizzi to cut into the Herons deficit.
- William Smith continued to apply the pressure late, resulting in another penalty corners and back-to-back shots by Kogut but the Saints defense withstood the pressure and closed out the thrilling conference battle on top, 2-1.
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Tuesday, Oct. 13, when it hosts Oswego State for a non-conference contest. Action between the Herons and the Lakers is set for 6 p.m. on McCooey Field.
