Junior goalkeeper
Reagan Murphy made nine saves in goal, but the St. Lawrence University women's soccer team fell to No. 12 William Smith, 2-0, on Wednesday afternoon at Cozzens Field in Geneva, N.Y.
The Saints moved to 5-6-4 overall and 2-4-1 in Liberty League play, while the Herons improved to 11-3-0 overall and remained unbeaten in conference action at 7-0-0.
William Smith controlled much of the early possession and tested Murphy several times in the opening half.
The sophomore goalkeeper made key saves on shots from Addison Stockwin, Grace Metzler, and Aleena Solano to keep the match scoreless through the opening 25 minutes.
St. Lawrence generated a pair of opportunities of its own midway through the half.
Sofia Manne put a shot on goal in the 24th minute, and the Saints earned two first-half corner kicks, but could not break through against goalkeeper Antonia Goerke.
The Herons finally found the breakthrough in the 27th minute when Miranda Demura put a shot on goal that ping-ponged off a defender, the goalkeeper, and the nearside post to put the home side in front, 1-0.
William Smith nearly doubled its lead later in the half when Demura struck the crossbar in the 34th minute, but the Saints went into the break trailing by just one goal.
The Herons continued to apply pressure after halftime, outshooting St. Lawrence 12-1 in the second half.
Murphy remained busy, making five more saves after the break, including stops on Solano, Aleena, Kristin Middaugh, and Sofia Carney.
The Saints' best chance to find an equalizer came in the 81st minute when
Kelsey Ackerman put a shot on target, but Goerke made the save to preserve the lead.
William Smith added an insurance goal in the 90th minute when Metzler scored to make it a 2-0 final.
Murphy finished with nine saves, one short of her career high, while Goerke recorded the shutout with two saves.
William Smith held advantages in shots (23-3), shots on goal (11-2), and corner kicks (6-2).
St. Lawrence will be back on the road this weekend on Saturday, October 24, for their final road game of the regular season. The team will head to Troy, N.Y., to take on RPI in a key Liberty League matchup, with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
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