Box score
MIDDLETOWN, CT- Women's soccer recorded a 1-0 victory against
NESCAC foe Wesleyan in this morning's season opener. The
Ephs' lone goal came off the foot of junior Gabrielle Woodson who
was fed the ball from the right side by sophomore Brianna Woolfson,
but any offensive momentum was certainly hard to come by against a
solid Cardinals squad.
Williams' head coach Michelyne Pinard, in her fifth year manning
the team, said "This was the best Wesleyan team we have ever played
against. They are incredibly organized and work really hard,
and they gave us a lot of problems in the midfield today."
The Williams squad faced a confident Cardinals team who believed
that 19 returning players from the 2006 season and home field
advantage could give them the extra edge in today's match up.
Pinard and her players certainly had a different idea in mind, but
it took the Ephs over seventy minutes to keep their midfield strong
and penetrate Wesleyan's defense.
"It took us somewhere towards the middle to end of the second
half to be able to find space on the field and that's when we
scored," commented Pinard.
With only 17:13 remaining in the game, Woodson was able to score
the go-ahead goal to give the Ephs the 1-0 lead. It was a
tight game throughout, as Williams only out shot Wesleyan by two,
8-6. Sophomore Lauren Sinnenberg was solid in her first
career start as goalkeeper for the Ephs, playing a full 90 minutes
and keeping her opponent scoreless. Sinnenberg recorded two
saves.
Coming of a 2-1 home loss to Colby in the first round of the
2006 NESCAC Tournament, the Ephs are a hungry team who have
learned a lot from the disappointing finish of last season.
Their newfound focus and dedication helped lead them past a tough
team today, and will serve to help them during the latter parts of
the season when their play has traditionally waned in past
seasons.
Williams continues their weekend of play tomorrow at Keene State
at 1:00.
