Potsdam, NY – A late goal from sophomore Meryn Lounsbury (North Norwich, NY) halved the deficit, but it wasn’t quite enough for the Clarkson University Women’s Soccer team as they dropped the Liberty League opener to 11th-ranked William Smith 2-1 on Friday afternoon at Clarkson Field.
The Golden Knights dropped to 3-5-1 overall and 0-1-0 in the Liberty League, while the Herons improved to 5-1-1 and 1-0-0. Clarkson continues its conference schedule by hosting Hamilton on Saturday, while William Smith travels to St. Lawrence.
William Smith took control from the opening kick, but really didn’t get many quality chances considering the Herons time of possession in the offensive end. One of those chances did come to fruition, however, as the Herons put a goal on the scoreboard in the 14th minute. Freshman Kate Redmond scored her second goal of the season when she redirected a cross to the far post at 13:16, with the assist going to Rayza Santiago. William Smith held a 7-1 edge in shots and 3-0 corner kicks.
The second half began similarly to the first, as the Herons again supplied plenty of pressure. William Smith delivered on one of its six second-half corner kicks as Santiago sent the pass from the far corner over to Brelynn Nasypany at 61:04 for her sixth goal of the season.
It appeared as if the Herons would just cruise to their 22nd straight win over the Knights, but Clarkson never stopped pushing and the Knights got on the scoreboard with just over three minutes remaining to put the final result in doubt. Freshman Alix Petitti (Amsterdam, NY) sent a pass up the far side to Lounsbury who then carried the ball in to the goalie box and hit a groundball past the William Smith goalkeeper for her first goal of the campaign. The Herons held on in the waning moments and almost scored a goal off a late corner, but the horn had sounded and the goal was waived off.
William Smith finished with a 12-5 edge in shots and an overwhelming lead in corners, 9-0. Freshman Caitlin Titus (Dewitt, NY) made six saves for Clarkson, while three Heron goalkeepers combined to make just one save.
Though the Knights have never beaten or tied William Smith, they could come away from the loss with some solace as it was the first time Clarkson has ever come within a single goal against the Herons.
