ITHACA, N.Y.—William Smith junior
Grace Metzler scored a pair of goals as the Herons defeated Ithaca 3-1 in a Liberty League contest at Carp Wood Field this afternoon. With the win, William Smith improves to 6-3-0 on the season and 2-0-0 in conference play.
Junior
Kristin Middaugh also scored for the Herons. Senior
Antonia Goerke played all 90 minutes in goal and made five saves as she earned the win.
Meghan Maragiogio scored for the Bombers (4-2-3, 0-1-1). Katrina Varnum played every minute in goal for the Bombers. She made six saves.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Herons finished the game with a 14-13 edge in shots, including a 9-6 advantage in shots on goal.
- Both teams had four corner kicks.
SCORING SUMMARY
- William Smith opened the scoring in the sixth minute, converting on a corner kick. Metzler picked up a bouncing ball in the 18-yard box and snuck a shot past the Bomber goalie. It was her first goal of the season. Senior Izzy Thors was credited with an assist on the tally.
- Middaugh gave the Herons a 2-0 lead in the 60th minute. She broke up a clearing attempt and fired a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of the goal. It was her team-leading third goal of the season.
- The Bombers broke up the shutout bid with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. Maragioglio collected a looping pass from Zara Nourie and chipped a shot past Goerke. It was Maragioglio's first goal of the season.
- Sixty-eight seconds later, Metzler sealed the victory with her second goal of the game. She raced down the left wing on a breakaway and fired a shot past Varnum.
MATCH MOMENTS
- Following Metzler's first goal, Goerke had to make a pair of key stops on point-blank chances from Lilyana Baldi and Sophie White. Goerke dove to her right to break up both scoring chances.
- In the 34th minute, the Herons nearly made it 2-0. Middaugh had a shot punched aside by Katrina Varnum. Metzler pounced on the rebound, but her shot was blocked.
- Analise Pilarski had a golden scoring chance late in the first half, but her shot was smothered by Varnum.
- William Smith continued to apply pressure in the offensive half right out of the halftime break. Metzler, Middaugh and first-year Grace Sudbay all had chances in the first 10 minutes of the second stanza.
- After falling behind 2-0, Ithaca turned up the pressure, but William Smith's defense stepped up and limited the Bombers to outside shots. Goerke also made three saves in the final 45 minutes.
COACH'S CORNER
"We are really proud of the team," Head Coach
Laura Burnett-Kurie '08 said. "Every single player contributed to the result today. The energy on the bench was relentless and we played with focus, grittiness and poise. We are excited to build on this win vs a strong Ithaca side."
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Oct. 3, when it heads to Potsdam, New York, to take on Clarkson. The Herons' final game of their six-game road trip is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
