The sixth-ranked William Smith College soccer team and St. Lawrence University played to a 0-0 draw in the Liberty League regular season finale on Cozzens Field Saturday afternoon. The Herons are now 11-1-4 overall this season with a 6-0-3 mark in conference play. The Saints are now 6-6-3 overall with a 2-5-2 mark in conference play.
With the tie and a 1-0 Ithaca loss to Union, the Herons were crowned the Liberty League regular season champions for the 15th consecutive season.
Senior Amanda Kessler played all 90 minutes in goal and made two saves in the shutout. Keely Snode played all 90 minutes in the Saints’ goal and made 10 saves.
KEY STATS:
- William Smith finished the game with a 37-2 advantage in shots, landing 11 on the net.
- The Herons had all sixteen of the game’s corner kicks.
FIRST HALF:
- William Smith dominated the first half, posting an 18-1 edge in shots with the Saints’ lone shot coming at the 44:52 mark. Kesler came up with a big save denying the breakaway efforts from Sam Cohen to keep the game tied at zero.
- The Herons’ best scoring chance of the game came in the 26th minute when Julia Dimenna was taken down in the box, resulting in a penalty kick for the Herons. Ava Ruppersberger couldn’t convert from the penalty spot as her shot went just over the crossbar.
SECOND HALF:
- William Smith continued to apply pressure in the second half, recording 19 shots compared to the Saints one.
- The Herons’ best scoring chance of the second half came in the 87th minute when Dimenna ripped a shot from the top of the box that beat the Saints goalie but would be denied by the crossbar.
- Dimenna led the Herons with 10 shots on the day, followed by Ruth Hotaling with five, and Ruppersberger, Emma Faso, and Julia Bergall recording four.
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action on Friday, November 4, when they host the Liberty League semifinals at Cozzens Field. The Herons will await the results of the quarterfinal match between RIT and Vassar on November 1.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].