GENEVA, NY—The 15th-ranked William Smith College field hockey team scored five straight goals on its way to a 7-2 Liberty League victory over Union College at McCooey Field this afternoon. The Herons were led by junior Hannah Wood's seventh career hat trick.
Wood got William Smith's quest for its 10th win of the season off to a fast start, scoring her first goal of the day in the sixth minute. She dribbled across the front of the cage from right to left until she was cut off by a defender. With Union senior goalie
Laura Aptowitz closing in, Wood spun back toward the right and flicked the ball into the far right corner.
About three minutes later, Wood took a pass just over midfield, dribbled around one defender and broke into the circle, unleashing a shot that hit the lower left corner of the cage for a 2-0 lead. In the 23rd minute, Alexandra Frary fed Maura Moran just inside the circle in the left slot. Moran one-timed the offering, sending a looping shot that just caught the bottom board for a 3-0 lead.
Wood finished her hat trick in the 27th minute, driving home a penalty corner. It was her league-leading 20th goal of the season. Wood's goal was assisted by Moran and senior Cydney Conley. Sieramarie Fizgerald made it 5-0, stealing a deflected pass off a Union players stick, dribbling around Aptowitz and walking the ball across the goal line.
Union (4-9, 1-3) got its first goal on a similar defensive miscue by the Herons. William Smith (10-4, 3-1) attempted a long pass across the back, but
Charlotte Leyland intercepted the pass and beat senior goalie Biz Chirco with a low shot to the left corner.
The Herons led 5-1 at halftime.
In the second half, sophomore Fallon Adair and first-year Elizabeth Carlson sandwiched goals around another tally by Leyland to close out the high-scoring affair.
Chirco made two saves in 35 minutes of work for the Herons, while Aptowitz went the distance and finished with 13 stops. William Smith ended the contest with a 25-9 advantage in shots and a 9-3 advantage in penalty corners.
Union will return home to host Rensselaer on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m.
