GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith soccer team scored twice in the first half as it defeated eighth-ranked Vassar 2-1 in a Liberty League contest on Cozzens Field this afternoon. It was the sixth straight win for the Herons, who are receiving votes in this week's poll.
Juniors
Kristin Middaugh and
Aleena Solano scored for William Smith. Senior
Antonia Goerke played all 90 minutes in goal and made seven saves as she earned her ninth win of the season.
Elena Valle scored for the Brewers. Laura Shea started in goal for Vassar and made two saves.
FOR THE RECORD
- With the win, William Smith is now 10-3-0 on the season and 6-0-0 in Liberty League play.
- It was Vassar's first loss of the season. The Brewers are now 7-1-4 overall with a 3-1-2 mark in conference play.
- William Smith has won three straight games against Vassar and is 6-1-3 in the last 10 meetings.
KEY STATS
- Vassar finished the game with a 19-11 advantage in shots on goal, including an 8-5 edge in shots on goal.
- The Brewers had seven corner kicks in the game, and William Smith had one.
- Vassar entered today's game having only allowed two goals all season.
- The Herons' 11 shots were the most the Brewers had surrendered all season.
FIRST HALF
- Vassar controlled the early momentum in the game, taking the first four shots of the game. Alice Crowley had the first opportunity, but her attempt just missed the left goalpost.
- Three minutes later, Goerke had to make a diving stop on a shot from Sonya Franklin.
- Crowley and Gianna Panarelli then had shots blocked by William Smith defenders.
- The Herons' first chance of the game came in the 11th minute when Middaugh broke free from a defender, but had her shot stopped by Shea.
- William Smith broke the deadlock in the 18th minute off a free kick. Standing near the penalty spot, Middaugh collected a centering pass from sophomore Addison Stockwin, turned and curled a right-footed shot off the right goalpost and into the back of the net. It was her team-leading fifth goal of the season.
- Twenty-seven seconds later, Solano gave William Smith a 2-0 lead. The Herons quickly forced a turnover on the restart after Middaugh's goal. Solano played a give-and-go with junior Grace Metzler in the midfield. She outran a defender and fired a shot from 30 yards out over Shea and into the back of the net. It was Solano's second goal of the season.
- It was William Smith's fastest two goals since scoring two goals in 18 seconds against Bard on Oct. 1, 2022.
- Vassar regained momentum following the second goal. In the 23rd minute, Panarelli broke into the 18-yard box and fired a shot toward the goal. Goerke dove to her left to smother the shot.
- The Brewers drew within one goal when Elena Valle notched her third goal of the year. Standing near the corner flag, she bent a free kick into the opposite corner of the cage.
- William Smith had two chances to take a 3-1 lead late in the first half. Sophomore Brynn Schneider had a shot cleared off the goal line by a Vassar defender in the 37th minute. Metzler then fired a shot off the crossbar in the 45th minute.
SECOND HALF
- The teams again traded chances in the early portion of the second half.
- In the 49th minute, Goerke had to make a diving stop on a shot from Anna Arban.
- In the 55th minute, Goerke made a pair of point-blank stops on shots from Panarelli.
- Vassar hit a crossbar in the 56th minute on a header attempt from Claire Vrahoretis.
- Miranda DeMura nearly put the game out of reach in the 64th minute, but her shot from the top of the 18-yard box just missed the crossbar.
- The Herons' defense stood strong in the closing stages, allowing just two shots in the final 30 minutes as Vassar pushed for the equalizer.
COACH'S CORNER
"I thought the team executed our game plan exceptionally well, and we found ourselves in moments that we wanted to be in, and we had the composure to finish those (moments)," Head Coach
Laura Burnett-Kurie '08 said. "We talked at the end, and every single person on our roster played a massive role today. Our bench brought exceptional energy, and everyone who stepped on the field had a game-changing moment. I think that this is a really pivotal moment for us in learning what our identity is and setting us up for a really exciting finish to the regular season."
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 21, when it welcomes St. Lawrence to Cozzens Field. The Liberty League contest is set to begin at 3:30 p.m.
