EWING, N.J. –The William Smith field hockey team dropped a thrilling non-conference matchup with NO. 19 TCNJ this afternoon. With the result, the Herons drop to 4-3 on the season, while the Lions improve to 4-2 overall.
The thrilling non-conference contest saw a back-and-forth battle between William Smith and TCNJ. The Lions held a 13-12 edge in shots this afternoon,. The Herons landed seven on target, while TCNJ tallied nine on frame. William Smith held an 8-5 edge in penalty corners, and held a 7-6 advantage in saves.
Junior Eliza Freeland scored William Smith's lone goal this afternoon, securing her fifth goal of the season. Classmate Mia Batchelder was credited with the assist. First-year Abigail Mantione led the Herons with four shots in the non-conference battle, while Batchelder added three, landing two on target. Freeland and junior Caroline Kogut added two shots each, combining for three shots on target against the Lions. Kogut also recored a defensive save in the loss, bringing her season total to three.
Sophomore Olivia Terranova played 57:52 in goal for William Smith this afternoon and made six saves in the loss. Terranova is now 4-2 on the season for the Herons.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- TCNJ opened the scoring just 1:32 into the game after being awarded an early penalty corner. Despite the Herons stopping the original scoring threat, the Lions would capitalize on the second chance opportunity, after Lindsey Hoffman's shot slipped past Terranova. The opening goal's assist was credited to Nika Eschmann.
- The Lions would keep up the early pressure, firing off four shots compared to the Herons' zero in the opening frame. TCNJ would also earn two penalty corners in the opening quarter compared to William Smith's zero.
- The Herons responded well in the second quarter, firing off three shots and earning three penalty corners in the 15-minute period. William Smith's best scoring chance of the first half came in the 21st minute after the Herons earned a penalty corner. Batchelder's shot beat the Lion's goalie but was cleared off the line by Rachael Tetzlaff to keep William Smith off the board.
- TCNJ doubled its lead just 1:17 into the second half after a long shot from Tetzlaff was deflected in front of goal by Isabel Maher. The deflection beat a diving Terranova to give the Lions a 2-0 lead.
- William Smith turned up the pressure in the final 28 minutes, firing off nine shots, landing five on target. The Herons pressure paid off in the 51st minute when Freeland broke through to bring William Smith back within one. Batchelder fired off a shot through traffic that found the stick of Freeland who tapped the shot into the net to make it a 2-1 game.
- The Herons continued to apply pressure down the stretch, but TCNJ's defense stood tall and kept William Smith off the board. Mantione fired off one last shot in the 57th minute but her shot went wide as the Lions closed out the non-conference battle on top, 2-1.
COACHES CORNER:
"Today we played a very strong second half," said Head Coach Sophie Riskie '07. "After going down a goal early in the game, I'm really pleased with how we responded and put on a ton of pressure to generate attack in the fourth quarter. We were very persistent and just ran out of time at the end. We played a top ranked team to a very even match and it gives us a lot of confidence heading into our stretch of very strong opponents on our schedule. I'm proud of the group and we will continue to work hard and sharpen up a few things to bounce back strong on Wednesday."
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Wednesday, Sept. 25, when it welcomes non-conference foe, No. 22 SUNY Cortland, to Geneva. Action between the Herons and the Red Dragons is set for 5 p.m. on McCooey Field.
