Box Score
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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – One win down, four
to go. Top-
ranked Williams (17-0-1) took the first step towards their
ultimate goal of winning a national championship, dealing the
visiting Husson Lady Braves (16-5-1) a 3-0 loss to advance to the
Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year.
The two teams battled windy, cold conditions
and bouts of sleet on Cole Field, but the Ephs used a 26-6
advantage in shots and a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks to power
past Husson.
Williams, fresh off back-to-back conference
championships, was awarded a first-round bye in the tournament
while Husson, the champion of the North Atlantic Conference,
advanced to the second round upon defeating Norwich this past
Wednesday, 2-0.
The Ephs struggled to find offensive fluidity
early in the first half, but began to piece together smart
offensive sequences as the game progressed.
Williams' aggress
ive attack finally paid dividends with 2:55 to play in the first
period. Sarah
Walmsley and Bret Eisenhart teamed up for the first
score. Walmsley crossed a long ball to the far
left post, where Eisenhart collected, and easily laced the ball
into the net for the lead.
“Husson is a great team, and is very
organized,” said Michelyne Pinard, in regards to the
Ephs' sloppy start. “But we had a
hard time getting any rhythm and the wind played a factor as
well. We were glad to get on the board when we
did.”
The Braves' best opportunity to score
came early in the second half, when Shelby Bradford unleashed a
shot on goal from well outside the penalty box.
An experienced Ephs keeper, Lauren Sinnenberg, timed the ball well
and leaped for the save
.
Fatigue, and well-placed pressure by Williams,
began to set it on for Husson in the latter half of play.
“Williams is tactically and technically
a better team on the field than we are,” said Husson head
coach Keith Bosley.
“We have to commit more energy, which is hard to sustain and
the early goal deflated us a bit.”
Williams continued to build their lead on two
unassisted goals that displayed the power and shooting ability of
their squad. Brianna
Wolfson notched goal number two at 63:16 with a hard shot to the
back left corner that the keeper could not get her hands
on. Ten minutes later, at 73:21, Sara Wild
capitalized off a whistled foul and used a free kick to rip an
untouched ball into net for the 3-0 margin of
victory.
Williams' bid for an NCAA Championship fell
short in the round of 16 last season, and the Ephs will look to
erase those bitter memories this weekend against the College of New
Jersey.
