CORTLAND, N.Y. – Junior Anna Branch (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) scored 7:57 into the second half to break a 1-1 tie and Cortland held off late pressure to earn a 2-1 victory versus nationally 12th-ranked William Smith Wednesday afternoon in non-conference field hockey action at Stadium White.

Senior Gabby Stein (Endwell/Maine-Endwell) also tallied a goal for the Red Dragons (6-3). Junior Meg Redmond (Accord/Rondout Valley) and sophomore Jessica Welsh (Hamilton) each recorded an assist, and Redmond added a defensive save in the first half. Sophomore goalie Kailynne Reinoehl (Lititz, PA/Warwick) registered her third game of the season with double-digit saves, turning aside 12 shots.

Junior Maura Moran (Garwood, NJ/Arthur L. Johnson) scored her seventh goal of the season for the Herons (6-3). Senior goalie Biz Chirco (Weedsport) did not make a save in 47 minutes before giving way to junior Emily King (Niskayuna), who stopped two shots over the final 33 minutes.

Stein gave Cortland a 1-0 lead 3:36 before the half. On a quick counter, Welsh moved the ball through the midfield and fed a pass to her left near the outside of the circle. Stein ran onto the pass, carried toward goal and slipped a shot through Chirco's pads for her sixth goal of the season.

William Smith wasted little time in knotting up the game in the second half. After a Heron shot was blocked by a Cortland defender's body in front of the goal, William Smith was awarded a penalty stroke. Moran lifted a shot into the upper left to tie the score at 1-1. Just over six minutes later, Branch struck for the game-winning score. On a penalty corner, Stein inserted the ball to Redmond at the top of the circle. Redmond slid a pass to her right where Branch delivered a shot through traffic that inched inside the left post.

The Herons turned up the pressure in an effort to tie the game, but the Red Dragons were able to prevent the equalizer. William Smith's best look down the stretch came with 5:40 remaining, but Reinoehl charged off her line to deny a hard blast by junior Hannah Wood (Sidney) on a penalty-corner play.

Cortland 2, William Smith 1

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
William Smith: Maura Moran 1-0
Cortland: Gabby Stein 1-0, Anna Branch 1-0, Jessica Welsh 0-1, Meg Redmond 0-1

Halftime: Cortland 1, William Smith 0
Shots: William Smith 17, Cortland 5
Penalty Corners: William Smith 11, Cortland 5
Saves: Biz Chirco (William Smith) 0 (2 GA in 47:00), Emily King (William Smith) 2 (0 GA in 33:00); Kailynne Reinoehl (Cortland) 12 (1 GA in 70:00)

Record after game: William Smith (Herons) 6-3 (ranked 12th in Div. III), Cortland (Red Dragons) 6-3