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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. - Coming off a two-game weekend in which
Williams (12-0) escaped with sluggish 1-0 victories, the Ephs
looked to today's contest as a springboard for improved play from
here on out. Despite not scoring in the first half, Williams
rattled off an impressive 20 shots on goal in the first half and it
was only a matter of time before everything fell in to
place.
An unrelenting attacking front proved to be the key to victory, as
three second half scores put away Keene State (12-5) on a cold and
wet afternoon match up on Cole Field. It is the twelfth
straight victory for the Ephs, and their fourth consecutive
shutout.
"I liked the result certainly, but I liked the ideas we had more,"
said Williams' head coach Michelyne Pinard. "We were
attacking the best we have all year, and to rebound from a tough
past weekend like that was great."
Williams outshot Keene State 20-2 in the first period, and 32-4
overall. Dominating time on the ball, the Ephs managed to
shoot the ball every place but inside the net. Countless
balls sailed over the crossbar, others missed the post by inches.
To the opposition's credit, the Owl's Sam Hirsh had 6 of her 9
saves in the first half all of which were clutch stops that kept
Keene State in contention for some time.
Finally, the undiscouraged home team converted minutes into the
start of the second half. At 49:32, Jackie Russo played the
ball up the middle and proceeded to cross the ball to Gabrielle
Woodson on the right wing. Woodson lined the ball into the
far left post for the 1-0 lead, and her team-leading eighth goal of
the season.
Williams avoided a third straight 1-0 result at 71:27.
Annelise Snyder capitalized off a well-directed header from Bret
Eisenhart. Eisenhart scored the third goal of the game at the
83:44 mark off a loose ball. Collecting off the deflection,
the Williams freshman ripped a shot from just outside the penalty
box.
Keene State's best opportunity to score came in the first half
with twelve minutes to play. After Williams was called for a
handball outside of the box, about 24 yards out, Keene had a chance
at net but Katie Bradford's sdirect kick sailed wide past the left
corner of the goal.
Williams will look to continue their aggressive attack against
Amherst on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. Amherst is currently ranked
#9 in the national rankings, while the Ephs remain at #1 in the
standings.
"It's a game we love to play," said Pinard, on the
Williams-Amherst rivalry. "We have worked hard all season
long to have this opportunity, and we will enjoy every moment of
it."
