The nationally-ranked William Smith College field hockey team bounced back with a 3-1 win over Lebanon Valley to close out the 2023 William Smith Classic. The Herons move to 3-2 on the season while the Flying Dutchmen fall to 2-3.
William Smith outshot Lebanon Valley 19-6 including a 12-4 edge in shots on goal. Senior Sofia Pattillo led the Herons with four points on two goals while firing off a team-leading five shots. William Smith also had the edge in penalty corners with five compared to the Flying Dutchmen’s three.
MATCH MOMENTS:
- William Smith opened the scoring just 25 seconds into the game when graduate student Mackenzie Wodka grabbed possession of the ball at half field and sliced through two defenders before firing off a shot. Wodka’s shot was blocked by a Flying Dutchmen defender which fell perfectly into the path of Pattillo in front of the goal. Pattillo buried the shot past Jansarics to give the Herons a 1-0 lead.
- Roughly 12 minutes later Pattillo would strike again. Graduate student Kate Barilla fired a shot from outside the arc which was blocked by a Lebanon Valley defender. Again, the ball fell perfectly to Pattillo who took a close range shot that was originally saved by Jansarics. Pattillo grabbed her own rebound and found the back of the net, extending William Smith’s lead to two.
- With 5:37 remaining in the third quarter, the Flying Dutchmen got on the board. Lexi Ward received the ball off a pass from Claire Weidenhammer at the top of the arc. Ward turned and fired a shot low past a rushing McCormick. Weidenhammer was credited with the assist.
- The Herons responded just two and a half minutes later when sophomore Lily Gutch recorded her first career goal as a Heron. Wodka slotted a pass to Gutch who fired off a backhanded shot through two defenders that slipped past Jansarics. Gutch’s goal gave the Herons a two-goal cushion going into the final 15 minutes.
- The final quarter was a battle in the midfield between the two teams as both the Herons and the Flying Dutchmen recorded zero shots to close out the game.
- Senior Kristen McCormick played all 60 minutes in goal for William Smith, posting two saves on the afternoon. McCormick moves to 3-2 on the season for the Herons.
UP NEXT:
William Smith will be back in action on Wednesday, Sept 13, when it heads to Rochester to take on Nazareth College. The Herons are set to take on the Golden Flyers at 6 p.m. on NLPA Field.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].