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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass – The Williams College men's soccer
team lent credence to the old axiom "Williams never loses to the
same team twice twice in the same season", as they used a
dominating first half, which saw them net three goals, to avenge
their regular season defeat and get past Trinity 4-2 in the first
round of the NESCAC tournament, Sunday.
The Ephs (10-4-1), coming off a heartbreaking loss to archrival
Amherst, came out playing inspired soccer as they put together
their best half of the season. Using one-touch passes to move
through, around, or over the Bantam defense the Ephs firmly
established dominance early, needing only four minutes to net the
game's first goal when senior Will Ford's beautiful bomb from
forty yards out
found the head of sophomore Connor Smith who flicked it over the
outstretched arms of Bantam keeper Spencer Durland.
Reducing the field to the twenty five yards surrounding the Bantam
goal, the Ephs continued to tighten their grip, effectively turning
the box into a constant scrum of swinging feet and falling bodies.
The Ephs generated countless near misses in this chaotic mixture,
most notably when freshman
Gaston Kelly took a short cross and converted it into a
sensational bicycle kick that was barely thwarted by
Durland's diving effort, but that nonetheless elicited a
chorus of “Wooo” and “Ahhh” from Williams
and Trinity fans alike.
The Ephs were able to finally catch a break when their constant
pressure garnered them a Sam Empson corner kick, which produced an
own goal when Durland, upon fielding the kick, was inadvertently
bumped by his own defender and dropped the ball into the net at the
21:40 mark.
Eph senior Nathan Elwood led the Ephs first-half juggernaut, as he
effectively turned a half of the field into his own personal
territory - abusing any Trinity player willing to challenge him
while at the same time acting as the major conduit of the ball from
the midfield to the front.
The Bantams (8-7) eventually showed signs of offensive life
towards the end of the half, however the Ephs exploited it when
keeper Andrew Graham punched out a Trinity shot which senior Mike
Darling converted into a quick-counter attack against the out of
position Bantam defense. Personally advancing the ball most of the
field, Darling dumped it off to classmate Kit Fuderich just as
the
defense collapsed on him, leaving Fuderich a nice window from
which he launched a beautiful arching shot into the far corner of
the net, 31:05 into the game.
However, the Bantams refused to say die and came out fighting in
the second-half, notching two goals in the first eight minutes. The
first came as the Bantams were pressuring the Ephs and forcing play
into their box, wherein a scrum developed and junior Dan Kupper was
able to take advantage as he dropped a short pass to freshman Peter
Marlette who promptly punched it in from 5:04 into the half. The
second came only three minutes later when a miscommunication on a
routine keeper to defender exchange left an open net and ball up
for grabs, which Bantam senior Jonathan Hayes swiftly capitalized
on.
The newly invigorated Bantam players increasingly began to match
the Ephs in physicality, which ultimately led to sloppy play,
fouls, and several heated exchanges. There was no love lost between
the two teams as the proficient play of the first half decayed into
a series of impassioned small skirmishes and one-on-ones, wherein
it was common for the losing party to find himself lying on the
pitch because of the physical play.
However, the Ephs ultimately regained the upper-hand and added an
insurance goal in the 64th minute when senior Ryan Pelletier
corralled a loose ball in the box and fed it to Ford who battered
it in from point blank range.
The game would remain contested for the majority of the half,
however the Bantams were never able to overcome their early deficit
as the Eph defense held tough.
“I thought we played excellent in the first half, and was
delighted that we scored three goals,” remarked Eph coach
Mike Russo, “but we have to learn that when we have a lead we
need to play secure soccer. We have a week until the semifinals,
and we will work on it.”
The victory propels the Ephs into the semifinals of the NESCAC
tournament, where they will again be testing the “Williams
never loses to the same team twice in the same season” axiom,
in a rematch with Middlebury. The game will be played at 11:00 AM
next Saturday, November 3, at Amherst.
