GENEVA, N.Y. –Four different Herons scored as the William Smith field hockey team cruised to a 4-0 non-conference win over Oswego State this evening on McCooey Field. With the win, the Herons improved to 7-8 on the season, while the Lakers fell to 4-8 overall.
William Smith put on a dominant performance in the non-conference win. The Herons held a 35-0 advantage in shots against the Lakers, including a 23-0 edge in shots on target. William Smith earned 11 penalty corners compared to Oswego's zero, while the Lakers combined for 19 saves in the loss. William Smith didn't make a save in the shutout win.
Four different Herons scored in the win. Juniors Hadley Harbert and Mia Batchelder as well as first-years Ashley Edmonds and Abigail Mantione tallied one goal each in the win, while junior Ana Dios Vidal recorded two points on two assists. Junior Mia Bolster also added an assist in the win. Dios Vidal led the Herons with seven shots this evening, landing four on target. Batchelder and junior Eliza Freeland fired off five shots each, combining for eight shots on target.
Sophomore Olivia Terranova and first-year Ryan Marsh played 30 minutes each in goal. Neither Terranova nor Marsh made a save in the win. With the win, Terranova improved to 7-6 with the shutout victory.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith came out strong, applying the pressure early and allowing Oswego to little possession of the ball. The Herons fired off nine shots in the opening quarter, but Sam Krautheim stood tall in goal for the Lakers, making seven early saves to keep the Herons off the board.
- The Herons continued pushing offensively in the second quarter, firing off 11 shots and earning three penalty corners before creating their most threatening scoring opportunity of the game. At the 25:05 mark, Dios Vidal nearly broke through after firing a shot from the left side of the goal but her shot ricocheted off the post, keeping it a 0-0 game.
- Less than 30 seconds later, William Smith finally broke through after being awarded a penalty corner. Senior Leah Griffith inserted the ball to Bolster who fired a shot from the top of the arc. Her shot was deflected by Harbert past Krautheim to give the Herons a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. It was Harbert's second goal of the season.
- 6:42 into the second half, the Herons would strike again after earning another penalty corner. After Griffith inserted the ball to senior Ava Vecchione at the top of the arc, Vecchione fired off a shot that was originally stopped by the Oswego goalie. The rebound fell to the stick of Batchelder who tapped a shot into the goal to give William Smith a 2-0 lead.
- William Smith continued applying the pressure for the next five minutes until it added to its lead in the 41st minute. Dios Vidal found the ball at her stick and drove through the Laker backline, beating three defenders before firing off a shot. Edmonds was sitting at the back post, redirecting the shot into the back of the cage for her first career goal as a Heron.
- The Herons closed out the scoring with 50 seconds left in the third quarter when Mantione tallied her team-leading 10th goal of the season. Edmonds created the scoring chance by driving down the sideline and firing a cross through traffic. Dios Vidal deflected the pass to a waiting Mantione who tapped in her shot to give William Smith a 4-0 lead.
- The final 15 minutes saw the Herons fire off two more shots and earn one final penalty corner, but Oswego locked down defensively and kept William Smith off the board. The non-conference contest closed out with the Herons on top, 4-0.
COACHES CORNER:
"It was great to be back on McCooey field tonight and to find our up-tempo passing game," said Head Coach Sophie Riskie '07. "We faced a very strong goalkeeper tonight who made some incredible saves. After a few half-time adjustments with how we were looking to generate our attacking opportunities, we found the back of the net a few more times in the third quarter. It was great to see 4 different goal scorers and Ashley with her first Heron career goal. We look forward to being back out on McCooey on Friday for our next conference game against Union."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Friday, Oct. 16, when it hosts Union for a crucial Liberty League contest. Action between the Herons and the Garnet Chargers is set for 4 p.m. on McCooey Field.
