GENEVA, N.Y. –Six different Herons scored as the William Smith field hockey team cruised to a 6-0 non-conference win over Nazareth this evening on McCooey Field. With the win, the Herons improve to 4-2 on the season, while the Golden Flyers fall to 0-4 overall.
William Smith put on a dominant performance in the non-conference contest against Nazareth. The Herons fired off 29 shots, landing 18 on target, while the Golden Flyers tallied two shots in the loss, landing only one on target. William Smith also held a 16-2 advantage in penalty corners, while Nazareth tallied 12 saves compared to the Herons' one. William Smith scored five goals in the opening quarter, which was the most goals scored in a quarter since Sept. 25, 2022, when the Herons tallied six goals in the opening quarter against Elmira.
Juniors Caroline Kogut and Hadley Harbert led William Smith with three points each after scoring one goal and recording one assist each in the win. First-year Abigail Mantione, sophomore Taryn Hitt and juniors Mia Batchelder and Grace McCormick each added a goal in the win, while junior Ana Dios Vidal and senior Leah Griffith tallied one assist each. Hitt and McCormick's goals were the first of their collegiate careers. McCormick led William Smith with five shots, landing four on target, while Mantione fired off four shots, landing all four on target.
Sophomore Olivia Terranova and first-year Ryan Marsh each played 30 minutes in goal for the Herons and combined for one save in the win. It was the second straight game that Terranova and Marsh combined for a shutout.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith opened the scoring just 1:39 into the game after being awarded an early penalty corner. Griffith inserted the ball to Kogut at the top of the arc. Kogut passed the ball to Harbert who passed it right back to an open Kogut. She ripped a shot from the top of the arc that beat the Nazareth goalie, giving the Herons a 1-0 lead.
- Just under two minutes later, the Herons would double their lead off Batchelder's second goal of the season. Dios Vidal fired off a shot from the top of the arc, which was blocked by a Nazareth defender. The rebound fell to the stick of Batchelder who tapped a shot into the open net to give William Smith a 2-0 lead.
- At the 8:30 mark, the Herons would strike again after being awarded a penalty corner. Griffith inserted the ball to Dios Vidal who stopped the ball at the top of the arc. Harbert ripped a shot from the top of the arc, beating Ayva Kantor to take a 3-0 lead.
- With five minutes remaining in the opening quarter, McCormick took the ball off a Nazareth defender's stick and sparked a counterattack. She slipped through two defenders and slipped a shot past Kantor to score her first goal as a Heron.
- Mantione tallied the fifth goal of the opening quarter after she drove down the left side of the field and fired off a shot on target. Mantione's original shot was saved by the Nazareth goalie, but the rebound came right back to her. Mantione's second shot beat the goalie to give William Smith a 5-0 lead.
- The Herons continued to maintain the possession throughout the remainder of the first half, keeping the momentum in their attacking half. William Smith closed out the opening half with an 18-2 advantage in shots as well as a 9-2 edge in penalty corners.
- William Smith scored its final goal of the game with three seconds left in the third quarter. Once again, the Herons capitalized on a penalty corner. Sophomore Josie Elion inserted the ball to Kogut at the top of the arc. Kogut ripped a shot that was deflected by Hitt past the Nazareth goalie to make it 6-0. It was her first collegiate goal.
- The Herons closed out the final quarter with a 3-0 advantage in shots and a 2-0 edge in penalty corners. Despite putting on the pressure late, Kantor stood tall in net and kept William Smith off the board. The non-conference contest would end with a 6-0 win for the Herons.
COACHES CORNER:
"I'm very pleased with the way we possessed the ball and capitalized on goals early in the game," said Head Coach Sophie Riskie '07. "We saw balanced scoring with six different goal scorers and two Herons with their first career goals. Limiting our opponent to just two shots also speaks to a strong team defensive effort. I', really proud of the group and how hard they have been working every day."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Saturday, Sept. 19, when it travels to Ewing, New Jersey, for a non-conference battle with No. 19 TCNJ. Action between the Herons and the Lions is set for 1 p.m. at the TCNJ Field Hockey and Lacrosse Complex.
