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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – The mantra "practice makes perfect"
proved less than accurate today, as neither Williams (18-0-1) nor
The College of New Jersey (14-7-1) could possibly have prepared for
the pesky weather conditions in this afternoon's NCAA
third-round contest.
Slick field
conditions made possession difficult from the get-go, while
flurries late in the first half developed to a full-blown snowfall
and a relentless wind for the remainder of play. The Ephs
handled the unpredictable elements well, advancing to the Elite 8
upon defeating the Lions in a come from behind victory, 2-1.
“We have
always talked abo
ut not paying attention to the things you can't
control,” said Williams' hea
d coach Michelyne Pinard. “Things were hard to do
under the circumstances, but I was proud that we still executed
even with the tough weather conditions.”
The win marks
the 18th of the season for Williams, surpassing last year's
program record of 17 wins. The squad advanced to today's game after
being awarded a first round bye in the tournament, and defeating
Husson College, 3-0, in the second round last weekend.
Williams is now in the fourth round of the NCAA
tournament for the first time since 1999.
TCNJ dominated on
their journey to the Sweet 16, dealing Morovian College and Western
Connecticut shutouts in the first and second rounds. Their
team of now is a far cry from earlier this season, as the Lions
have lost eight starters to injury.
"I'm s
o proud of these kids it's not even funny," said TCNJ coach Joe
Russo. "We've had a slew of injuries. I give all the
credit to Williams; I thought they played well. We played Amherst
at full strength early on, the score was 5-1. And then we just lost
a bunch of people. We're a shell of what we should be, but I
don't want that to be the focus. To get this far without eight
starters, I'm ecstatic. The kids who have stepped on have done
very, very well."
The Ephs
have achieved some peace of mind as well, advancing past the Sweet
16 roadblock of last year that saw Hamilton defeat the Ephs on Cole
Field, 2-1, ending their bid for a national championship and an
undefeated season.
“This team
has been hungry all year, but particularly for this day,”
continued Pinard. “To go beyond what we accomplished
last year means a great deal to our seniors and our program.”
“It was a
big motivator for us,” said Ephs forward Sarah Walmsley,
referencing last season's early exit. “It is one
of those games we wish we had back, and the feelings of last year
fueled our play today.”
Neither team
scored in the first half, although both teams had ample chances to
take the lead.
Just two minutes
into play, the Lions' Jamie Kunkel let off a shot after a
corner kick that just nicked the left
crossbar. The Ephs were slightly off their game in the
opening minutes, but found their stride soon enough. Ten
minutes later, on the opposite end of the field, Gabrielle
Woodson's shot took the same course as Kunkel's,
finding the far left post.
Williams was
presented with a golden opportunity, after TCNJ fouled an Eph
inside the penalty box midway into the first half. Pinard
chose defensive back, Lizzie Danhakl, to take the kick.
Danhakl placed the ball well, but TCNJ's goalkeeper Jessica
Clarke read the ball's path, and made a tremendous save to keep the
score even.
“Lizzie is
our best PK kicker day in and day out in practice,” said
Pinard. “I did not hesitate in making that decision, it
was a no-brainer. Their goalkeeper is phenomenal
though. I was really pleased that it did not shake us.
Ten minutes later I had forgotten about it, and so did the
rest of the team.”
The Ephs pressed on in the first half,
shrugging off their missed opportunity. Although both teams
played a solid first frame, Williams controlled the ball for most
of the latter period of the half, out shooting the Lions,
12-6.
TCNJ picked up their play heading out of
halftime, while Williams stumbled out of the gate in the early
minutes. The Ephs were forced to play from behind for only
the sixth time this season after Kunkel scored just five minutes
into the second half.
After a defensive misstep, the Ephs had to
play catch up and retreat downfield to defend a Lions charge
towards goal. Coleen
Weber collected the ball, dribbled past the midline undefended, and
fed Kunkel a lob pass outside the goal box. A
rushed Ephs defense saw Kunkel rip a ball to the top left corner,
out of reach for the Ephs keeper, Lauren
Sinnenberg.
What do you tell the number one-ranked
Division III team in the nation after falling behind?
“I don't tell them
anything,” said Pinard. “We believe
in our system. TCNJ
is a second half team, and they showed us that
today. They played more directly, and going
against the wind was tough for us.”
Believe in their system they did as the Ephs
did not falter, but instead rose to the
occasion. At 63:40, Woodson played a cross that
was recovered by Walmsley in the penalty box.
She did not immediately act on her open look, and Walmsley took
ample time before taking the shot that sailed into net to tie the
score, 1-1.
“I wanted to get a good shot off and
place it,” commented Walmsley.
“There are not a lot of chances out there, and I had to stay
composed, because it was easy to slip out there.”
Woodson and Walmsley teamed up again at the
78:44 mark, reversing roles this time. Walmsley
played the cross while Woodson waited on the wide open far post to
recover and score on the empty net for the 2-1
advantage. The two late goals provided an energy
boost to the squad, and the Ephs held on for the victory.
Clarke finished the game with seven saves,
while Sinnenberg recorded four on the afternoon.
The Ephs, serving as the sectional host, will
face Ithaca College in tomorrow's Elite 8
contest. Game time is set for 1:00.
See
story on Ithaca defeating Lynchburg 2-0 to advance to sectionnal
Final vs. Williams
Listen
to Sectional Finals: Williams vs. Ithaca 1:00 PM 11/23
