GENEVA, N.Y.—The 12th-ranked William Smith soccer team extended its winning streak to seven games with a 2-0 win over St. Lawrence in a Liberty League contest on Cozzens Field this afternoon. With the win, the Herons secured at least a share of the Liberty League regular season title.
Senior
Miranda DeMura and junior
Grace Metzler had the goals for William Smith. Senior
Antonia Goerke played all 90 minutes in goal and made two saves as she picked up her fourth shutout of the season.
Reagan Murphy played all 90 minutes in goal for the Saints. She made nine saves.
FOR THE RECORD
- William Smith is 11-3-0 overall this season and 7-0-0 in Liberty League play.
- St. Lawrence falls to 5-5-4 with a 2-3-1 mark in conference play.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- William Smith dominated the stat sheet. The Herons finished the game with a 23-3 advantage in shots, including an 11-2 mark in shots on goal.
- William Smith had six corner kicks, and the Saints had two.
FIRST HALF
- The Herons took control of the game right from the opening whistle, applying pressure in the offensive half of the field for most of the opening 20 minutes of the game.
- In the fourth minute, sophomore Addison Stockwin had a chance off a corner kick that was turned aside by a diving Murphy.
- Metzler had a flurry of shots in the eighth minute but fired both attempts just over the crossbar. She then tested Murphy again in the 24th minute, but her shot was smothered by Murphy, who dove to her right to make the save.
- St. Lawrence's best chance of the first half came in the 25th minute. Sofia Manne broke free from a defender and fired a shot towards the right goalpost that was stopped by Goerke.
- William Smith took a 1-0 lead in the 27th minute. DeMura collected a pass from junior Aleena Solano inside the 18-yard box near the goal line. She turned and fired a shot that deflected off the goalie's leg and into the goal. It was DeMura's second goal of the season.
- DeMura nearly scored a second goal in the 34th minute. She fired a shot from the six-yard box off the crossbar. Her rebound attempt sailed just over the crossbar.
SECOND HALF
- William Smith picked up where it left off in the second half. The Herons compiled a 12-1 advantage in shots in the second half.
- Early in the frame, Murphy made a pair of stops on Solano to keep St. Lawrence within one. Her shots were sandwiched around an attempt from Metzler and junior Kristin Middaugh.
- In the 68th minute, sophomore Sofia Carney ripped a shot from 30 yards out that was ticketed for just under the crossbar. Murphy timed her jump right and punched the ball over the crossbar.
- Metzler sealed the victory with 53 seconds remaining in regulation. She broke up a Union clearing attempt and launched a shot from the edge of the 18-yard box that bent over Murphy's hands and into the upper right corner of the goal. It was her fifth goal of the season. Metzler has recorded at least a point in six straight games.
COACH'S CORNER
"At this point of the season, everyone is fighting for something, and that's really impactful and meaningful," Head Coach
Laura Burnett-Kurie '08 said. "Playoff spots and home field advantage being on the line raise the game to a different level. We went out there with a focus on getting the win and getting the three points, and we did that. I think there were some really good moments and a lot for us to learn, and now we're shifting our focus to Saturday and Union."
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 24, when it heads to the Capital Region to take on Union. The Liberty League contest is set to get underway at 2 p.m. in Schenectady, New York.
