Hobart and William Smith Colleges

21 September 2015 Wilber, William Smith Soccer Reach 500 Wins

William Smith College Head Soccer Coach Aliceann Wilber P12 and the Heron soccer program reached 500 wins with a 1-0 victory over the University of Rochester in the championship game of the Upstate Collegiate Cup played at the Yellowjackets Fauver Stadium on Sunday night.

Wilber, now in her 36th season and the only soccer coach William Smith has ever had, holds a record of 500-129-56. Only two coaches in NCAA womens soccer history have reached the 500-win plateau, both in Division I, North Carolinas Anson Dorrance (736) and UConns Len Tsantiris (533). Wilber is the first Division III womens soccer coach to reach that plateau and the first woman in all of NCAA soccer.

The Herons improve to 4-1-1 overall this season, while the Yellowjackets are now 3-2-1 overall. Shay Callahan 17 scored the lone goal of the game for the Herons. In the 77th minute, Callahan scored her first goal of the season on a point blank shot after a cross in front by classmate Kara Shue 17.

The Herons controlled play for the majority of the game. With just under 23 minutes left in the first half, Brie Ruane 17 almost put the Herons on the board. Krista Longo 16 took a free kick from just outside of the box and she dished to Emma Diehl 17. Diehl played the ball into Ruane who blasted a shot from right in front, but Rochester keeper Madilynne Lee denied the chance.

One of Rochesters best scoring chances of the game came early in the second half. Amanda Graboski broke through for a one-on-one with Heron first-year goalie Kaileen Murray 19. Murray bolted out of the goal and dove on the ball just before Graboski was able to get a shot off.

Callahan almost broke through with 16:40 left in the game. After a through ball by Sarah Olick-Sutphen 19, Callahan broke into the box for a one-on-one with the keeper, but Lee made the save immediately after Callahan got her shot off.

Murray played all 90 minutes in goal for William Smith and stopped the lone shot she faced to secure her fourth shutout of the season. Lee played the entire match in goal for Rochester and made four saves.

The Herons finished with a 12-2 advantage in shots and a 9-1 lead in corners.

William Smith will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 26, when it hosts Union for its first Liberty League game at 3 p.m.

Last year, the William Smith varsity soccer team finished with a 16-3-1 overall record, capturing its eighth straight Liberty League regular season and tournament titles. William Smith advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament and was ranked 11th in the nation in the final NSCAA poll.

In 2013, William Smith soccer defeated Trinity University 2-0 to win the NCAA Division III Womens Soccer National Championship in San Antonio, Texas. It was the second national championship in Heron soccer history. The Herons capped that historic season with a 23-1-0 overall record. After leading William Smith to the 2013 National Championship, Wilber was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/FieldTurf Coach of the Year. It was the fifth time she has earned the prestigious award.