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No. 7 Herons top No. 16 Diplomats in season-opener
March 5, 2005
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Kate Bickford |
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Sarah Dillon |
WELLINGTON, Fla.--After moving up six spots in the IWLCA coaches poll over the past three weeks, the William Smith lacrosse team finally gave the pollsters a reason to show such confidence in the Herons.
Seventh-ranked William Smith won its season opener this morning, defeating 16th-ranked Franklin & Marshall College 11-8. Senior midfielder Kate Bickford (Lincoln School/Providence, R.I.) and sophomore midfielder Sarah Dillon (Blair Academy/Oldwick, N.J.) keyed the Heron attack with three goals apiece.
Junior defender Jessica Tanner (Guilderland/Schenectady, N.Y.) got the season off to a great start, scoring the first two goals of the contest as William Smith took a 5-4 lead into halftime.
The Herons recorded the first tally of the second stanza, but the Diplomats (1-2) responded with back-to-back goals to knot the game at 6-6 with 26:03 remaining.
William Smith seized control with three straight goals. Sophomore midfielder Jessica Scott (Waynflete School/Portland, Maine) started the surge with a free position score at 23:58. Dillon added the next two, just five minutes apart, for a 9-6 Heron lead.
The teams traded goals over the final 15 minutes.
In goal, first-year Adele Hayward (Hyde School/Winchester, Mass.) posted the win in her first collegiate start with nine saves.
The Herons return to action at noon on March 17, when the take on the ninth-ranked Bowdoin Polar Bears in Wellington. The game will be aired live by WEOS-FM (89.7/90.3 in Geneva, 88.1 in Ithaca). Those outside the broadcast area can listen to the games via the Internet by visiting the William Smith lacrosse schedule page and clicking on the “live audio” link.