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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA- With a 2-0 win over
conference opponent Tufts (10-3-0, 6-2) this afternoon at home,
Williams women's soccer (13-0-0, 8-0) secured the top spot in the
NESCAC standings and clinched the number one seed for the NESCAC
tournament. Starting forwards Gabrielle Woodson and Brianna
Wolfson, leading the Ephs with twenty-four and twenty points
respectively, continued to produce on the offensive end with one
goal each.
On clinching the number one seed, Ephs head coach Michelyne Pinard
commented, "We have not been the number one seed in the NESCAC
since 2001, and we feel really great about this accomplishment. We
definitely worked hard to get to where we are today."
Tufts entered today's match up sitting right below the Ephs in the
NESCAC standings. With a win by the Jumbos both teams would have
one loss in conference play, but would overtake the Ephs in the
standings. Williams was determined to not let that happen,
and in the seventh minute after the whistle sent a message to the
opposition.
Rookie Sara Wild played a perfect cross off the right side to
Woodson who let the ball bounce once in front of her. Woodson,
playing the ball off the bounce, kicked a hard line drive off her
left foot in the left side of the net. Jumbos' keeper Kaitlin
Minnehan had to guess in which direction Woodson would play the
ball, and moved right as the ball bounced, leaving an open net on
the left side for Williams to tally the early goal.
The Ephs were lucky to score in the seventh minute, as they lacked
energy for the remainder of the half. The squad executed their
sequences poorly, failing to create any offensive opportunities,
but managed to keep the Jumbos off the scoreboard.
Pinard said, "We did not make many good decisions with the ball
and we weren't working well off the ball. Any pressure they (Tufts)
placed on us rattled us. They (Tufts) did a good job of keeping
possession and keeping the ball away from us. We played a
more consistent game in the second half, especially in the second
half of the second half. I was pleased with how we ended the
game."
Fifteen minutes into the second half Williams doubled their lead
to go ahead 2-0 off a quick goal in transition. Woodson, playing in
center field, quickly found Ana Sani storming down the right
side. Sani received the pass, immediately turned to find
Wolfson charging towards the goal, and laced a clean pass to her
teammate. Wolfson collected the pass, with Tufts' keeper coming out
of net to meet the ball, and tapped the ball into the net before
Minnehan could dive on top of the ball.
The Jumbos narrowly outshot the Ephs 11-10, but many of their
opportunities to score came after Williams' fouls. The Ephs
committed 20 fouls, most contested by Pinard and the home
crowd. Both goalkeepers notched four saves, while Williams'
keeper Lauren Sinnenberg recorded her ninth shutout of the season.
Williams will host archrival Amherst College next Saturday at
11:00 a.m., and with a win will close out the regular season with
an undefeated record.
"The Amherst game is a big game regardless of our record," said
Pinard. "No matter the year, Amherst always plays incredibly
well against us and it should be a great game."
