GENEVA, N.Y. –Four different Herons scored as the William Smith field hockey bounced back with a crucial 4-2 conference win over Vassar this afternoon. With the win, the Herons improved to 5-7 overall and 1-1 in the Liberty League, while the Brewers fell to 6-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
William Smith put on a dominant performance in the crucial conference victory. The Herons outshot the Brewers 15-7, including an 11-5 edge in shots on target. Vassar earned eight penalty corners compared to William Smith's seven and also held a 7-3 advantage in saves in the conference thriller. The Herons four goals was the most goals William Smith has scored against Vassar since the Herons defeated the Brewers 3-2 in 2016.
Junior Ana Dios Vidal led the Herons with three points on a goal and assist this afternoon. Juniors Mia Batchelder and Caroline Kogut as well as first-year Abigail Mantione added one goal each in the win. Junior Eliza Freeland dished out two assists, while senior Leah Griffith added one assist for William Smith. Kogut fired off a team-leading four shots in the win, while Dios Vidal and Mantione added three shots each for the Herons.
Sophomore Oliva Terranova played all 60 minutes in goal for William Smith and made two saves in the win. Terranova is now 5-5 on the season.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith came out strong, firing off three early shots before opening the scoring at the 7:55 mark. Batchelder broke the deadlock after Freeland sent a long pass through the Brewer defense to a running Batchelder. Batchelder took one touch around the goalie and beat a rushing defender to tap the ball into the goal, giving the Herons the early lead.
- ·The Herons continued to maintain the momentum of the game for the remainder of the opening quarter, firing off two more shots while keeping Vassar to no threatening scoring chances.
- The Herons nearly doubled the lead 2:05 into the second quarter after William Smith was awarded a penalty corner. After a small scramble, Kogut fired off a shot that beat Vassar's goalie, but Anna Hazewindus was there to clear it off the line.
- William Smith doubled its lead just 12 seconds later after senior Kylee Knuschke drove endline and fired a pass across the goal. Freeland was there to bat down the pass, which fell to Mantione who deflected the shot into the back of the net for her team-leading sixth goal of the season.
- At the 21:44 mark, the Herons would add to their lead after Dios Vidal tallied her third goal of the season. After a scramble in front of goal, Dios Vidal fired a backhand shot past Kendra Pitts to take a 3-0 lead.
- The third quarter saw the two sides trade possession in the midfield with both William Smith and Vassar firing off one shot each in the 15-minute period. The Brewers had their best scoring chance of the game five minutes into the second half as Karina Hoffman's shot beat Terranova, but Kogut was there to keep the ball out of the goal and keep the Brewers off the board. It was Kogut's fourth defensive save of the season.
- Just 2:37 into the final quarter, Vassar broke through after Zoe Robinson deflected a shot past Terranova to make it 3-1. Julia Morris was credited with the assist for the Brewers.
- William Smith responded just under seven minutes later with its fourth goal of the game. Griffith inserted the penalty corner to Dios Vidal who stopped the ball for Kogut. Kogut ripped a shot past Grace Wiley to regain the three-goal lead.
- The Brewers turned up the pressure firing off three more shots before Langdon Chu scored at the 59:22 mark to make it 4-2. Autumn Dowiak's initial shot was deflected by Chu into the Heron goal to cut William Smith's lead to two but the comeback was too late as the Herons closed out the conference clash on top, 4-2.
COACHES CORNER:
"Today was a great way to conclude Homecoming and Family Weekend!" said Head Coach Sophie Riskie '07. "I'm so pleased with how we started off strong and capitalized on our attacking opportunities early in the game. We knew that Vassar would come out strong in the second half and they did. They are well coached and a very strong team and we were prepared for a second half surge. Today's game was defined by many players going the extra mile with some incredible diving efforts, on the attack with Mia's diving goal, diving interceptions in the midfield, and Caroline's defensive save. There were many other moments of energy producing plays with interceptions and next level effort today. That show's a team who is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. I'm really proud that our hard work was rewarded with a victory today."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 7, when it travels to Houghton for a non-conference contest. Action between the Herons and the Highlanders is set for 5 p.m.
