Saratoga Springs, N.Y. – Skidmore scored twice in the first four minutes and never looked back as the 14th-ranked field hockey team cruised to a 5-0 victory over #15 William Smith in Friday's Liberty League action at Thoroughbred Field.
The Thoroughbreds improve to 5-1 overall, 2-0 in the league while the Herons suffer their first loss of the season, falling to 7-1 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Skidmore started out fast as junior
Annie Rosencrans (Riverside, Conn.) was able to beat her defender along the baseline and fed
Christine Kemp (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) in front of the net at the 1:55 mark for a quick 1-0 lead. Less than two minutes later, freshman
Kelly Blackhurst (North River, N.Y.) took a pass from Kemp in front of the goal and beat William Smith goalie Taryn Little high to make it a 2-0 game.
The Thoroughbreds pushed it to a three-goal lead at the 23:09 mark when Rosencrans scored her third goal of the season on a pass in front of the goal from
Katie Potter (Rumson, N.J.).
Caylyn Sullivan (Dedham, Mass.) made it a 4-0 game at the 27:32 of the first half when Rosencrans collected a rebound and found Sullivan right in front of the goal.
After battling back and forth through the first 20 minutes of the second half, Blackhurst made it 5-0 as she took a pass off a corner and scored on a blast from the top of the circle for her second tally of the game. Kemp and
Lauren McCarthy (Ipswich, Mass.) assisted on the goal and Skidmore held on for the shutout.
Liz Catinella (Sudbury, Mass.) improved to 5-1, making three saves and
Allie Sosinsky (Medfield, Mass.) made one stop for the Thoroughbreds. Little suffered the loss, making two stops on six shots in the first half. Chelsea Snyder made nine saves on 10 shots in the second half for the Herons.
Blackhurst finished with two goals, while Kemp and Rosencrans each had a goal and two assists.
Skidmore held a huge advantage in shots, outshooting William Smith 23-8. The Thoroughbreds also held a 13-7 advantage in corners.
Skidmore hosts Rochester at 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon at Thoroughbred Field.
