GENEVA, N.Y. – The Manhattanville field hockey team saw its four-game win streak come to an end Saturday, as they were unable to overcome the high powered offense of #8 William Smith College.
 
The Herons (6-0 overall) got out to a hot start in the first half.  Just two minutes into the game, Hannah Wood found the back of the cage off of a penalty corner and gave William Smith an early 1-0 lead.  Just five minutes later the Herons struck again, when Alessandra Patrizio beat Valiant goalkeeper Meghan Hughes (Kintnersville, Pa./Palisades) in a one-on-one situation to score her 13^th goal of the year and give the Herons a two goal advantage.
 
Manhattanville (4-4 overall)  had an opportunity to answer in the 16^th minute, when junior Bregje Smits (Bussum, Netherlands/Willen de Zwigger College) fired a shot on goal, but a defensive save by Jessica Borbee kept the Valiants scoreless.  William Smith's offense continued to put the pressure on Hughes, answering with three shots of their own before Hannah Wood was able to find the back of the cage, making it a three-goal game heading into the break.
 
In the second half, the Valiants were able to put some pressure on the Heron defense.  At the beginning of the half, Amanda Cirocco (Totowa, N.J./Passaic Valley) and Smits were able to get shots away inside the circle, but were turned aside by Heron goalkeeper Biz Chirco.  The Valiants continued to try to find a way to score but were unable to beat Chirco, who recorded her first shutout of the season on the day. 
 
Hughes was able to settle in after the tough start, making eight saves on the day and keeping the Herons scoreless the final 51minutes of the game.
 
The Valiants will look to get back on the winning track tomorrow when the square off against Saint Lawrence University in their final game of the William Smith Classic.  Gametime is set for 11:00 A.M.