GRANTHAM, Pa. –The William Smith field hockey team fell 3-1 in a non-conference battle at Messiah this afternoon. With the loss, the Herons fall to 4-5 overall, while the Falcons improve to 3-4 on the season.
The non-conference battle saw both William Smith and Messiah put on an impressive showing. The host Falcons held a 13-6 advantage in shots, including a 7-5 edge in shots on target. Messiah earned three penalty corners while the Herons earned one. Both William Smith and Messiah tallied four saves each.
Junior Ana Dios Vidal scored William Smith's lone goal this afternoon. It was her first goal of the season. Dios Vidal and junior Mia Batchelder led the Herons with two shots each, landing all four on target, while juniors Caroline Kogut and Eliza Freeland fired off one shot each in the loss.
Sophomore Olivia Terranova played 54:34 in goal for William Smith and made four saves in the loss. She is now 4-4 on the season. First-year Ryan Marsh played in goal for the final 5:26 of the game but didn't face a shot.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith opened the game on the offensive front, firing off the first shot of the game but Joy Lippert made the stop on Batchelder's shot.
- Messiah opened the scoring at the 5:50 mark after a long shot from the Falcons found the stick of Aubrey Clark. Clark collected the ball and slotted a pass across goal to Addie Weiler. Weiler slipped a shot past Terranova to give Messiah an early 1-0 lead.
- The Falcons continued to apply pressure in the opening quarter, but the Heron defense stood tall and kept Messiah off the board to close out the first quarter.
- The second quarter saw William Smith and Messiah battle for possession through the 15-minute period. Each side fired off one shot but couldn't generate any scoring opportunities before halftime. The Falcons held on to their 1-0 lead heading into half.
- After 10 minutes of the two sides trading possession, William Smith responded with a goal of their own to tie the game at 1-1. Dios Vidal received a pass from senior Ava Vecchione with her back to goal. Dios Vidal turned and took on two defenders before firing off a shot past the Falcon goalie. It was Dios Vidal's first goal of the season.
- Messiah broke the deadlock in the 48th minute after capitalizing on a William Smith defensive miscue. Weiler intercepted a Heron pass and was one-on-one with Terranova. She slipped a shot past a rushing Terranova to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead.
- Less than four minutes later, Messiah would double its lead after earning a penalty corner. Alyssa Lewis found Chelsea Carlisle open at the top of the arc. She dished off a pass to Ellie Lefever who ripped a shot into the Heron goal to make it 3-1.
- The remaining eight minutes saw the two sides trade possession but neither side created any scoring chances. The non-conference battle finished in favor of Messiah, 3-1.
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action Tuesday, Sept. 29, when it welcomes No. 10 Hamilton to Geneva for a non-conference contest. Action between the Herons and the Continentals is set for 6 p.m. on McCooey Field.
