The seventh-ranked William Smith College soccer team and the University of Rochester battled to a 2-2 tie in a non-conference contest on Cozzens Field this afternoon. The Herons are now 3-0-1 on the season.
Julia DiMenna and Shayna Straney scored the goals for William Smith. Kirsten Nelson played all 90 minutes in goal and made five saves.
Claire Grover and Natalie Kocsis notched the goals for the Yellowjackets (3-0-1). Grace Kuropatkin went the distance in the Rochester goal and made eight saves.
KEY STATS
- In an evenly played game, the Herons finished with a slight 16-13 edge in shots.
- William Smith had all four of the game’s corner kicks.
FIRST HALF
- The teams traded chances in the first 45 minutes with the Herons outshooting the Yellowjackets 8-7.
- William Smith had the first chance of the game in the third minute. Julia Berg had a shot from 20 yards out stopped by Kuropatkin.
- In the 13th minute, DiMenna and Ruth Hotaling had shots smothered by the goalie.
- DiMenna broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute. She collected a long leading pass from Hotaling, broke into the box and slipped a shot into the lower right corner of the cage.
- Rochester tied the game in the 41st minute. Grover curled a shot from the top of the box past Nelson for her fifth goal of the season. Katharina Probst was awarded an assist on the goal.
- The Yellowjackets nearly gave Rochester the lead in the 44th minute. She found herself wide open in front of an empty cage but chipped a shot just wide right.
SECOND HALF
- William Smith regained the lead 40 seconds into the second half. Standing on the left goal post, Straney tapped a bouncing pass across the goal line for her second goal of the season. Hotaling was awarded an assist on the goal.
- The teams traded chances in the middle portion of the frame. Straney nearly gave William Smith a 3-1 lead but her strike was turned aside by a diving Kuropatkin.
- While not official shots, Rochester had a couple of dangerous crosses that Nelson corralled to preserve the lead.
- Natalie Kocsis tied the game in the 80th. She collected a through ball from Mia McGinty and slipped a shot into the lower right corner of the cage.
- William Smith had a couple of chances in the closing stages of the game, but they were unable to sneak another shot past the Rochester goalie.
SERIES HISTORY
- Today’s game was the third straight tie between William Smith and Rochester.
- DiMenna’s goal was the Herons’ first against the Yellowjackets since 2018. Following two straight 0-0 draws and a 1-0 loss the Herons had gone 344:01 minutes of gametime without a goal against Rochester.
UP NEXT
William Smith will be back in action next Saturday, Sept. 16, when it heads to Grantham, Pennsylvania, to take on third-ranked Messiah. The game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].