William Smith lived up to its No. 1 ranking by capturing its third championship crown in Division III field hockey November 12 with a 1-0 win over Springfield.

The Herons also were NCAA champions in 1992 and 1997.

The first half saw tough defense by both squads and no score. The second half remained deadlocked through 24 minutes of play until William Smith's Erin Weir notched the game's only goal on a deflection from teammate Nicky Livingston's shot with 10:34 remaining.

William Smith outshot Springfield, 5-2, in the first half and finished the game with an 11-9 advantage in total shots. The Herons also had a 5-3 edge in penalty corners in the first half, but both teams finished with 14 corners for the game.

William Smith's Marjie MacVean finished with five saves in goal, while Springfield's Sena posted two.

In the semifinals, William Smith defeated Salisbury State, 3-1, while Springfield handed Rowan a 2-1 loss. Springfield finished 20-6 for the year and runner-up for the first time.

Named to the all-tournament team were William Smith's Livingston, Jess Dascano and Lauren VonBereghy. Springfield representatives on the squad were Sena, Caroline Black, Liz Kyle and Abby Perham. Rounding out the 11-person team were Rowan's Kelly Engelbart and Moriah Holmstrom, and Kristen Seaton and Tara Webster from Salisbury State.

Championship summary

First round: New England Col. 1, Plymouth St. 0; Denison 2, Eastern 2.

Second round: At Amherst -- William Smith 3, New England Col. 0; Cortland St. 2, Amherst 0.

At Lebanon Valley -- Salisbury St. 1, Wm. Paterson 0; Lebanon Valley 4, East. Mennonite 0.

At Springfield -- Springfield 2, Bowdoin 1; Col. of New Jersey 3, Johns Hopkins 1.

At Rowan -- Williams 2, Ithaca 0; Rowan 7, Denison 0.

Quarterfinals: William Smith 3, Cortland St. 2; Salisbury St. 1, Lebanon Valley 0; Springfield 2, Col. of New Jersey 0; Rowan 2, Williams 0.

Semifinals

First half: WS -- Lauren VonBereghy (unassisted), 33:14.

Second half: WS -- Jackie Hall (unassisted), 25:31; SS -- Tara Webster (Marie Brewington), 16:46; WS -- Jackie Hall (unassisted).

Shots: Salisbury St. 13, William Smith 10. Goalkeeper saves: William Smith (Marjie MacVean) 2, Salisbury St. (Joanna Fenske) 4. Penalty corners: William Smith 9, Salisbury St. 12.

First half: S -- Melissa Rogers (unassisted), 17:48; R -- Michele Bilbow (Kelly Engelbart), 11:28.

Second half: S -- Abby Perham (Melissa Beals), 26:56.

Shots: Springfield 8, Rowan 16. Goalkeeper saves: Springfield (Liz Sena) 8, Rowan (Lesley Snock) 3. Penalty corners: Springfield 5, Rowan 10.

Championship

Second half: WS -- Erin Weir (Nicky Livingston), 10:34.

Shots: William Smith 11, Springfield 9. Goalkeeper saves: William Smith (Marjie MacVean) 5, Springfield (Liz Sena) 2. Penalty corners: William Smith 5, Springfield 3.