October 5, 2005

GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College soccer team moved up one spot to No. 4 in the latest edition of the weekly National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division III poll. Messiah College remains atop the rankings followed by Trinity University and The College of New Jersey. The Herons remained perched atop the New York Region poll for the third consecutive week.

William Smith (8-0-0, 3-0-0 Liberty) is off to its best start since the 1991 squad also won its first eight matches.

On Oct. 1, the Herons’ used the combination of an explosive offense and a stifling defense to defeat previously unbeaten Hamilton College 3-0. Sophomore forward Johanna Murphy (Amity/Woodbridge, Conn.) netted a pair of goals just 2:32 apart to stake William Smith to an early 2-0 advantage. Senior attacking midfielder Steph Gridley (Auburn/Auburn, N.Y.) added a late insurance goal to round out the scoring.

Defensively, junior goalkeeper Nikki Dudley (Chittenango/Chittenango, N.Y.) turned away a pair of Continental offerings to extend her unbeaten and unscored upon streak to eight matches. She is currently tied for the third longest shutout streak in school history with the 1997 squad. Dudley leads the nation in shutouts, goals against average (0.00), and save percentage (1.000).

The Herons’ defense is the only NCAA soccer team, men or women in any division, not to surrender a goal this season. The vaunted defensive corps has held opponents to a meager total of 36 shots so far this season, averaging 4.5 attempts per game.

William Smith will welcome Skidmore College (10-1-0, 2-0-0 Liberty) and Union College (7-1-1, 2-1-1) to Cozzens Field over the weekend for key conference matches. On Oct. 7, the Herons and Thoroughbreds will tangle at 4 p.m., while William Smith and the Dutchwomen will square off at 2 p.m. the following afternoon.

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