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Heron field hockey earns NCAA win
November 8, 2006
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Ashley Barker |
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Liz Saucier |
GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College field hockey team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament with a 4-1 victory over visiting Eastern University on McCooey Field this afternoon. The Herons were led by the five-point effort of senior forward Ashley Barker (Cape Elizabeth/Cape Elizabeth, Maine).
“Ashley’s having a great senior season,” William Smith Head Coach Sally Scatton said. “She’s often times overlooked because of all the scoring Sophie Dennis does, but as I’ve told the team all season long, we’re a team of 25 and not a team of 24 and one superstar.”
Ranked ninth in the final NFHCA Coaches Poll, William Smith (17-3) rattled off four consecutive goals before the contest was 24 minutes old. Senior midfielder Liz Saucier (Old Town/Old Town, Maine) opened the scoring in the ninth minute, deflecting a shot off the keeper’s pads into the back of the cage for her seventh goal of the season.
“I thought Liz was arguably our finest player through the first half,” Scatton said. “She carried us for a good portion of it. She moved very aggressively to the ball. She and Ashley had an added incentive because they’re both from Maine, along with classmate Katelin Nickerson (Yarmouth/Yarmouth, Maine). Three of our five seniors are from Maine and they really wanted very desperately to get back to Maine to play in front of family and friends.”
In the 15th minute, Barker pushed one home from point-blank, then 27 seconds later she slipped a shot between the keeper’s pads that was trickling towards the goal line. The shot was helped home by first-year Kaitlyn Hamilton (Harpursville/Harpursville, N.Y.), giving the Herons a 3-0 lead.
Barker made it a four-goal game, tipping a shot by senior forward Sophie Dennis (Dana L. West/Port Byron, N.Y.). The assist raised Dennis’ career total to 39, breaking the career record she shared with Nicky Livingston ’02, and upped her season point total to 68, breaking the mark she shared with Kimberly O’Gorman ’88 (67 set in 1987).
Ranked 18th in the nation, the Eagles (17-5) avoided the shutout in the 65th minute when senior forward Christy Miller (Twin Valley/Elverson, Pa.) finished a scramble in front.
Sophomore goalie Katie DeKraker (Staples/Westport, Conn.), who was named the ECAC Division III Player of the Week today for her play in the Liberty League Tournament, earned the win with six saves, including four in the first half, while sophomore Kelly Garland (Kutztown/Lanhartsville, Pa.) turned away eight shots.
In the second round, William Smith will face Middlebury College in Brunswick, Maine, on Nov. 11, at 2 p.m.