 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Herons ranked 2nd in Liberty League Tournament
October 25, 2006
GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith soccer team is seeded second in the Liberty League Tournament after posting a 6-1-0 conference mark this season. With one game left to play in the regular season, the Herons hold a 10-4-1 overall record and are ranked sixth in the New York Region by the NSCAA.
This year’s tournament will be hosted by top-seeded Union (11-2-3, 6-0-1) Nov. 3-4 on College Park Field. No. 4 Hamilton (8-3-2, 4-3-0) will take on the Dutchwomen in the first semifinal game at 11 a.m. on Friday, while William Smith will play No. 3 Skidmore (10-3-3, 4-2-1) at 1:30 p.m. The winners will advance to the championship game on Saturday at noon.
William Smith is seeking its first Liberty League Tournament title after participating in each of the four championship games since the league’s postseason tournament was instituted in 2002.
Junior Laura Burnett-Kurie (Oyster River/Durham, N.H.) has paced the Heron offense this season, and leads the league with 10 goals and 23 points. Senior Heather Phillip (Cayuga/King Ferry, N.Y.) (4 goals, 3 assists), sophomore Katie Compton (The Loomis Chaffee School/West Hartford, Conn.) (4 goals, 2 assists), and senior Alex Rieben (Guilford/Guilford, Conn.) (4 goals) have all been steady contributors for William Smith.
Senior goalkeeper Nikki Dudley (Chittenango/Chittenango, N.Y.) (10-4-1) ranks second in the league in goals against average (0.47), and heads a talented defense that has allowed just seven goals. The Herons have also seen solid defensive play from senior Ashley Kent (Westfield/Westfield, N.J.), juniors Tracy Stankavage (Chittenango/Chittenango, N.Y.) and Leigh Williamson (Arlington/Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), and sophomore Ali Art (Herricks/Manhasset Hills, N.Y.).
William Smith will finish its regular season schedule on Oct. 28 when it hosts Ithaca at 2 p.m.