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Atwood scores in OT to give Herons Liberty League crown
November 5 , 2005
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Brooke Atwood winds up on the game-
winning goal in overtime that gave the
Herons the Liberty League Championship. |
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Brooke Atwood celebrates by leaping
into the arms of Sophie Dennis. |
GENEVA, N.Y.—Junior midfielder Brooke Atwood (Marathon/Marathon, N.Y.) scored an unassisted goal less than three minutes into overtime to lift the 11th-ranked William Smith College field hockey team to a 3-2 win over 13th-ranked Skidmore College in the Liberty League Championship match this afternoon on McCooey Field. It is the second consecutive Liberty League crown for the Herons and the seventh for the program since the league was founded in 1995.
Atwood set herself up on the play, stealing the ball away from a Thoroughbred 20-yards away from the cage. She ran 15 yards unguarded and shot between the pads of first-year goalie Stephanie Reed (Barker/Barker, N.Y.) for the title clincher.
“I was going to pass to Sophie [Dennis] and then I realized the defense wasn’t picking me up,” Atwood said. “So I shot it.”
Atwood almost didn’t get the chance to grab the spotlight. Less than a minute into the extra session, Skidmore had a two-on-one breakaway with only Heron senior goalie Sue Jordan (Boothbay/Boothbay, Maine) to beat. The Thoroughbreds pushed the ball a bit too far ahead and Jordan was able to run onto the ball and clear it away, a play that isn’t reflected in the box score, but is nonetheless vital to William Smith’s title run.
“Sue’s performance all year long has been overlooked by what our high-powered offense has done,” William Smith Head Coach Sally Scatton said. “But what has gotten us to this point is our defense, and she anchors that unit.”
The Herons (16-3) looked ready to run away with the contest in the early going. In the seventh minute, junior Sophie Dennis (Dana L. West/Port Byron, N.Y.) flicked in a feed from junior Liz Saucier (Old Town/Old Town, Maine). The goal was the 59th of Dennis’ career, tying the career record set by Jennifer Joinnides ’97, while the two-points raised her career total to 143, one more than Joinnides’ gold standard.
William Smith grabbed a 2-0 advantage on senior Maggie Dolan’s (Towson/Towson, Md.) team-leading 21st goal. Only two players in Heron history have scored more goals in a single season.
Just as quickly as William Smith grabbed the lead, Skidmore (14-5) made that advantage disappear. Sophomore Shaila DeLea (Sacopee Valley/Cornish, Maine) scored back-to-back goals in the 20th and the 22nd minutes to deadlock the match. Junior Katie Weber (Princeton Day School/Princeton, N.J.) earned the assist on both goals.
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The 2005 Liberty League Champion Herons |
The Herons, who topped Skidmore 2-1 during the regular season, put three shots on the cage in the second half, but Reed stopped them all, finishing the day with five saves. Jordan recorded four stops to earn her 16th win of the year.
“I give credit to both teams,” Scatton said. “They played their hearts out. It was a great hockey game. That’s what championship hockey is all about.”
The NCAA Tournament pairings will be announced late Sunday night.