McQuillen’s OT strike sends Herons to 3rd round

GENEVA, N.Y.-William Smith College sophomore Sheila McQuillen scored the game winning goal with 2:09 left in the second overtime to secure a 1-0 win for the ninth-ranked Herons and a spot in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. With the victory, William Smith improves to 16-3-0 on the season. Tufts concludes its season with an 11-6-2 overall record. William Smith will be back in action next weekend, Nov. 16-18. The Herons await the winner of tonight's second round match between No. 14 Amherst and No. 21 Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Date, time and location of next week's game is to be determined. McQuillen's second game-winning and seventh goal of the season came on a shot from the top of the 18-yard box. She collected a pass from a teammate with her back to the goal, turned her defender and chipped a shot over Emily Bowers that snuck under the crossbar. William Smith opened the game with a pair of scoring chances in the third minute. Sophomore Merilyn Hinrichs collected a through ball in the box and fired a shot on cage that was stopped by a diving Bowers. Hinrichs collected her own rebound but her follow up shot was stopped by Bowers as well. The Jumbos answered with an opportunity of their own in the fifth minute. Sophe Lloyd carried the ball into the box and fired a shot towards the right post that was smothered by senior Veronica Romines. The teams traded chances in the opening 45 minutes, with the Herons earning a 6-5 edge in shots. Tufts came out of the halftime break and seized control of the game's momentum. The Jumbos posted a 10-2 edge in shots in the second half. Romines was impressive in goal for William Smith in the second 45 minutes, making seven saves. Tufts best opportunity of the game came in the 77th minute. Liz Reed floated a shot on target from top of the box that was ticketed for the upper left corner of the cage. Romines jumped at the last second and punched the scoring attempt over the cross bar. In the first overtime period, the Herons controlled the tempo and the field possession, playing most of the 10 minutes in their offensive half of the field. Senior Megan Barwick had a shot stopped by Bowers just over one minute into the extra session. At the opposite end of the pitch, Lily Sykes had an opportunity to win the game for Tufts in the 95th minute but her shot just missed the left post. William Smith continued their momentum in the second overtime session, dominating the time of possession. The Herons had the only two shots of the second ovetime. Sophomore Amanda Adams had a shot blocked that led to the McQuillen goal. Romines played every minute in goal for William Smith making a season-high nine stops. Bowers played every minute in goal for Tufts making eight saves. Tufts finished the game with a 16-12 edge in shots while the Herons earned a 7-5 advantage in corner kicks. With this afternoon's win, 14 of William Smith's 16 wins this season have been shutouts.