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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA.- Williams women's soccer (5-0-0) shocked the
ninth-ranked team in the nation this afternoon, defeating non
conference opponent Western Connecticut (4-1-1) in an overwhelming
4-0 shutout at home. Senior captain Ana Sani had her second
consecutive multi-goal game en route to the Ephs' third straight
4-0 victory and fifth victory in as many games.
Western Connecticut entered the match up with no losses and had
just moved up four spots in the Division 3 polls from #13 to #9,
but the Colonials did not seem prepared to face a deep and
confident Williams squad that has been riding high after dominant
performances in recent games.
The starting trio of defensive backs- Kara Duggan, Elizabeth
Danhakl, and Caitlin Colesanti- has played exceptionally well this
season and today was no different. The Ephs' defense allowed
Western Connecticut only three shots on goal in the first half, and
eight for the entire game. Williams' goalkeeper Lauren
Sinnenberg helped keep the Colonials at bay as well, making three
of her four quality saves in the second half after Western
Connecticut cleaned up their play.
So far this season Williams has scored the bulk of their goals
in the first half, including today's game in which the Ephs tallied
three goals in the first forty-five minutes of play. The Ephs
attacked the net early and five minutes in Sara Wild laced a corner
kick past the far post. Sani ran in to the head the ball and
found the back right corner to notch the first of her two
goals. Wild had an overall successful day on the field
tallying two assists.
Ephs head coach Michelyne Pinard commented on a trend of
blistering offense in the first half saying, "We have been starting
our games strong and that has been very effective for us. I
don't think that we are less effective in the second half. I
just think that other teams figure us out more in the second half
which is a credit to them." Pinard believes the Ephs still
play a consistent game in the second half, which is certainly a
credit to them, despite the decrease in offense on the scoreboard.
At the 18:52 mark, Brianna Woolfson gave the Ephs a 2-0 lead
after an assist from Kaolin McEvoy. McEvoy found Woolfson
charging down center field directly in front of the net.
Woolfson ran past her defender, received the ball and nailed a hard
short in the upper right corner past a leaping goalkeeper.
Sani scored the third goal of the game, and her team leading fifth
goal of the season, with 22:18 remaining in the first half.
Sarah Walsmley scored eight minutes into the second half to
consolidate the 4-0 win.
Williams has a tough road weekend ahead and will face conference
foe Bowdoin on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Endicott on Sunday at
12:00 p.m. Pinard knows this will be a test for her team, and said,
"Bowdoin and Endicott are both good teams. On any given day
you never know what can happen, but we are ready to play everyday
and that gives me and the team a lot of confidence."
