GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith soccer team, which is receiving votes in this week's IWSOC DIII Coaches Poll, defeated Rochester Institute of Technology 1-0 in a Liberty League contest on Cozzens Field this afternoon. The win extended the Herons' winning streak to four games.
Junior
Grace Metzler scored for William Smith in the 18th minute. Senior
Antonia Goerke started in goal and made six saves as she earned the shutout.
Ashton Anderson played all 90 minutes in goal for the Tigers. She made seven saves.
FOR THE RECORD
- With the win, the Herons improved to 8-3-0 on the season and 4-0-0 in Liberty League play.
- The Tigers fall to 4-4-2 and 2-2-0 in conference play.
- With today's win, the Herons snapped a two-game losing streak against the Tigers.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- William Smith finished the game with a 15-12 advantage in shots, including an 8-6 edge in shots on goal.
- RIT had nine corner kicks in the game, and the Herons had two.
FIRST HALF
- William Smith's first offensive chance of the game came in the sixth minute. Metzler fired a shot just wide left from the top of the 18-yard box.
- Four minutes later, RIT earned its first corner kick of the game. The Tigers generated two chances off the kick. Emma Pedro had a shot blocked by a defender. Lindsay Ford's rebound attempt was stopped by Goerke.
- In the 15th minute, junior Kristin Middaugh broke into the 18-yard box, but her shot deflected off a defender.
- Three minutes later, the Herons broke through. Metzler collected a loose ball in the box and buried a shot past Anderson for her third goal of the year. First-year Grace Sudbay was awarded an assist on the tally after her initial shot was saved by the goalie.
- Metzler nearly made it 2-0 in the 22nd minute. Her shot was smothered by Anderson. The rebound fell at the feet of Aleena Solano, but Anderson moved to her right to stop the header attempt.
- RIT made a push late, earning three corner kicks in the final five minutes of the half, but they could not find the equalizer. Anya Sander had a shot blocked. Goerke dove to her left to stop the rebound attempt.
SECOND HALF
- In the 50th minute, Anderson made a diving stop on a shot from Sudbay.
- Sophomore Addison Stockwin nearly made it 2-0 in the 57th minute, but her header attempt was stopped by Anderson. Forty-six seconds later, Metzler had a shot smothered by the RIT goalie.
- RIT had one last chance to tie the game in the 89th minute, but Isabel Guerrero's shot was turned aside by Goerke.
COACH'S CORNER
"Today was a gritty win," Head Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie '08 said. "Our ability to win 50/50s and our press helped us win the transitions. We needed to battle today and rose to that challenge. Nice to be back home, nice to get another shutout and nice to earn the win against a tough RIT team."
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 10, when it welcomes Skidmore to Cozzens Field. The Liberty League matchup is set to begin at 3 p.m.
