William Smith closed its field hockey regular season with a 3-0 loss at Rochester on Saturday, setting up a return trip for the Liberty League Tournament's first round Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The Herons secured the No. 5 seed and will visit the fourth-seeded Yellowjackets at Edwin Fauver Stadium, the team reported in its game recap.
William Smith finished the regular season 9-10 overall and 3-4 in the league. Rochester improved to 12-6 and 4-3.
Rochester scores in three quarters
Hannah Mehta opened the scoring at 7:41 of the first quarter, with Kristina Fedorova credited with the assist after a scramble near the goal.
William Smith created pressure with three consecutive penalty corners in the second quarter. A corner inserted by Leah Griffith set up a Mia Batchelder attempt, but the Herons could not convert, and Rochester took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
The Yellowjackets made it 2-0 at 40:16, when Kirsten Matzky finished a pass from Erin Foley on a counterattack.
Sophia Cuneo added Rochester's third goal at 47:24, assisted by Grayson Honig following a penalty corner.
The Herons earned three late third-quarter corners and tried to increase their pressure in the fourth, but Rochester kept them off the scoreboard.
Corner advantage produces no goals
William Smith held a 12-3 advantage in penalty corners, but Rochester led 9-5 in shots and 7-1 in shots on goal.
Senior Ava Vecchione led the Herons with two shots. Juniors Mia Bolster, Batchelder and Ana Dios Vidal each took one, with Batchelder recording William Smith's only shot on goal.
Sophomore Olivia Terranova played all 60 minutes in goal and made four saves, moving to 9-7 for the season. Rochester finished with one save.
Tuesday's first-round matchup will bring the teams back to the same stadium with a place in the next round at stake. The recap did not list a start time.
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