GENEVA, N.Y.—The 11th-ranked William Smith soccer team was edged by 15th-ranked Vassar 2-1 in the Liberty League Championship game on Cozzens Field this afternoon. The Herons are now 14-4-0 on the season.
Vassar is now 11-1-5 on the season and earned the Liberty League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. William Smith awaits is fate as an at-large bid. The 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament field will be announced tomorrow, Nov. 9, at 11:30 a.m. on NCAA.com.
Junior
Kristin Middaugh had William Smith's goal in the game. Senior
Antonia Goerke played all 90 minutes in goal and made four saves.
Alice Crowley and Gianna Panarelli scored for the Brewers. Laura Shea went the distance in goal and made four saves. Defender Cecelia Wager was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Vassar finished the game with a 15-8 advantage in shots.
- The Brewers had two corner kicks in the game, and the Herons had one.
MATCH MOMENTS
- All three goals came in the opening 22 minutes of the contest.
- The Brewers opened the scoring in the seventh minute. On a free kick from just outside the 18-yard box, Elena Valle had a shot blocked by the William Smith wall. The rebound fell to the feet of Lucy Hart, who also had a shot blocked by a defender. Crowley picked up the rebound and buried a shot past Goerke for her team-leading 10th goal of the season.
- Vassar nearly made it 2-0 in the 10th minute, but Goerke smothered a shot from Gianna Panarelli.
- The Herons drew level in the 17th minute. Middaugh ran onto a through ball from Aleena Solano, split two defenders and fired a shot past Shea. It was Middaugh's eighth goal of the season.
- Off the restart, Panarelli had a shot hit the crossbar.
- In the 21st minute, Shea made a diving stop on a shot from Middaugh.
- Panarelli scored the game-winning goal in the 22nd minute. She collected a leading pass from Valle and chipped a shot over a charging Goerke for her eighth goal of the season.
- In the 28th minute, sophomore Brynn Schneider nearly tied the game, but her header attempt was smothered by Shea.
- Vassar nearly took a 3-1 lead in the 48th minute, but Anna Arban headed a shot off the crossbar.
- Just before the 85-minute mark, Panarelli nearly scored, but a William Smith defender swiped the ball off the goal line.
- Schneider had one last chance at the equalizer for William Smith, but her shot was stopped by Shea.
