ITHACA, N.Y. –The William Smith field hockey team secured a crucial conference win as it defeated Liberty League foe, No. 22 Ithaca this afternoon. With the win, the Herons improved to 9-8 on the season with a 3-2 mark in conference play, while the Bombers fell to 10-5 overall and 3-3 in the Liberty League.
The thrilling conference matchup saw both William Smith and Ithaca fire off eight shots each. The Bombers landed six on target, while the Herons landed five on frame. William Smith earned five penalty corners compared to Ithaca's four and also held a 5-2 edge in saves in the crucial conference win.
Three different Herons scored in the win. Juniors
Ana Dios Vidal and
Mia Batchelder and first-year
Ashley Edmonds scored for William Smith while Dios Vidal and junior
Eliza Freeland recorded assists in the win. Batchelder led the Herons with three shots on the afternoon, while Dios Vidal followed with two shots against the Bombers, landing one on target.
Sophomore
Olivia Terranova played all 60 minutes in goal for William Smith and made five saves in the win. With the win, Terranova is now 9-6 on the season.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- The Bombers opened the scoring just 2:45 into the contest after being awarded a penalty corner. Caroline Folan inserted the ball to the top of the circle. The initial Ithaca shot went right back to Folan who tapped a pass across the goal to a waiting Breeah Shaw. Shaw tipped the shot into the back of the net to give the Bombers an early 1-0 lead.
- Wiliam Smith responded just over five minutes later when Batchelder sparked a counterattack. Batchelder sent a through ball to a running Freeland who beat the last defender and forced the goalie off the line. Freeland slotted a hard cross through traffic to Batchelder at the back post who batted a shot into the back of the goal. Batchelder's eighth goal of the year tied the game at 1-1.
- Just over a minute later, the Herons would strike again to take their first lead of the day. Senior Leah Griffith sent a long pass into the circle which deflected off a Bomber defender. The deflection fell to Dios Vidal who took one touch around her defender and fired a shot past Maeve Clark to give William Smith a 2-1 lead.
- After early pressure from Ithaca in the second quarter, the Herons flipped the script and maintained most of the possession for the remainder of the first half. William Smith earned two penalty corner and fired off two shots, but Clark and the Bomber defense stood tall to keep it a 2-1 game heading into halftime.
- The Herons came out hot in the second half, dominating the play and keeping the ball in their offensive half for the majority of the third quarter. William Smith fired off four shots in the third quarter and held Ithaca to zero scoring opportunities in the 15-minute period.
- William Smith added to its lead in the 41st minute after Edmonds scored her second career goal. Senior Kylee Knuschke inserted the ball from the sideline to first-year Wyley Horner. Horner sent a long pass into the circle to a waiting Dios Vidal. Dios Vidal ripped a shot that was deflected in front of net by Edmonds that beat the Ithaca goalie to make it a 3-1 game.
- The final 15-minute period saw the Bombers apply the pressure in hopes of getting back into the game. Ithaca fired off three shots but was matched by a strong showing from Terranova who made three straight saves to keep the Bombers off the board.
- Ithaca pulled its goalie with three minutes remaining in hopes of creating more scoring chances due to the extra attacker, but William Smith locked down defensively and used the clock to its advantage as it closed out the crucial conference showdown on top, 3-1.
COACHES CORNER:
"What a week for the Herons!" said Head Coach Sophie Riskie '07. "We played an outstanding game today at Ithaca and it was a ton of fun. We controlled the midfield and were gritty in the attack circle to finish our opportunities. Dios did an excellent job to create space and get us a hard strike on goal to generate two of our scoring opportunities. We played total team defense and withstood the pressure in the final minutes."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Saturday, Oct. 24, when it hosts Skidmore for another Liberty League matchup. Action between the Herons and the Thoroughbreds is set for 2 p.m. on McCooey Field.
