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Herons earn 17th NCAA Tournament appearance, travel to Union
November 7, 2005
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GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College soccer team earned an at-large bid to the 60-team NCAA Tournament field this afternoon. The Herons are making their 17th tournament appearance and their first since the 2002 squad reached the national semifinals.
William Smith (15-1-1) will travel to Union College for its opening round match against the University of Rochester (15-1-2). The Dutchwomen will square off against Ithaca College in the first game on Nov. 12 at 11 a.m., while the Herons and Yellowjackets will play at 1:30 p.m. on College Park Field. The winners will meet on Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. Ticket prices are $6 for general admission, and $3 for students, senior citizens, and children.
Earlier this season, sophomore striker Laura Burnett-Kurie (Oyster River/Durham, N.H.) netted the game-wining goal as William Smith defeated the Yellowjackets 1-0 in Geneva.
Led by legendary Head Coach Aliceann Wilber, the Herons’ are 22-12-9 all-time in the tournament. Wilber, who ranks second on the Division III all-time career wins list, sports an overall record of 345-105-36, including the 1988 National Championship.
Offensively, William Smith is lead by Burnett-Kurie. A member of the All-Liberty League first-team, she leads the conference in points (41), goals (18), and game-winning goals (7). Three other Herons have reached double digits in scoring: sophomore Johanna Murphy (Amity/Woodbridge, Conn.) with 14 points, junior Alex Rieben (Guilford/Guilford, Conn.) and senior Steph Gridley (Auburn/Auburn, N.Y.) with 13 points each.
William Smith features a stifling defense that has surrendered only three goals this season. The 2005 Liberty League Player of the Year, Seraphine Hamilton (The Peddie School/Trenton, N.J) anchors a heralded defense, which features three all-conference players. Junior goalkeeper Nikki Dudley (Chittenango/Chittenango, N.Y.) leads the League in shutouts (15) and goals against average (0.17). The Herons were the last NCAA team, men or women, in any division, to surrender a goal this season.
For more information about Schenectady and host Union College, fans can log onto the Union Web site.