Box Score
Photo Gallery
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – Women's soccer
(1-0-0) opened their 2008 season with a 4-1 victory over
non-conference opponent, Endicott (1-2-0).
Despite the lopsided outcome, Williams did not dominate play from
the start and had to shake of some first game jitters for their
form to finally come together.
“Our nerves showed early on,” said
Williams' head coach Michelyne Pinard.
“It was seen in the speed of play, and there was doubting as
well. As the game progressed, we became more
comfortable on the field and it speaks volumes that all
twenty-three players came into the game, fit, and ready to
go.”
The defensive play by the Ephs was solid all
game long, allowing only four shots on goal in ninety minutes of
play. The first
twenty-five minutes of the game were played in the middle of the
field though, as the Williams offense struggled to move the ball
forward while the defense kept Endicott at bay.
“Endicott was giving us space in the
midfield,” continued Pinard. “We
were not quite sure how to capitalize on that space, but when we
figured out that we could really go at them, we broke them
down.”
Williams finally broke through in the
27th minute due to the play of Brianna Wolfson and
Gabrielle Woodson.
The two players scored 24 of the Ephs' 50 goals last season,
and when Wolfson entered the game with the clock nearing the
twenty-minute mark, it seemed to be only a matter of time before
something positive happened on the field.
The duo had a few good passing sequences that
fell short early on.
At one point, Wolfson laced a pass between two defenders to
Woodson. About ten
feet outside the penalty box, Woodson was supposedly fouled when
the referee reversed the call seconds later and called
offsides. Williams
would not let questionable calls deter them and they did not stay
quiet for long, as minutes later Wolfson headed the ball to
Woodson. She charged in on goal on the right side
and shot the ball to the far left corner. Freshman Bret
Eisenhart had a heads up play, diving legs first into the left goal
post for the 1-0 tally.
The Ephs continued their improved offensive
attack in the second period. Woodson found
herself in the thick of play once again, scoring the game-winning
goal at the 56:39 mark. Just three minutes later, Wolfson
found the goal to put Williams ahead 3-1.
Freshman Nicole Stenquist headed the ball to Woodson,
and Woodson proceeded to rip off a shot that found the stomach
of Endicott's goalkeeper. Wolfson
capitalized off the deflection, placing the ball into the back
right corner.
Senior captain Clare Gallagher scored
Williams' final goal at the 64:21 mark, giving the Ephs a 4-0
lead. Williams looked
to have the shutout in the bag before a defensive slipup allowed
the Gulls an opportunity on goal.
“It actually happened in the middle of
the field,” said Pinard, referring to where the Ephs
defensive
mistake began. “Endicott is a very good team, and we put no
pressure on the ball so they finally found a target who turned and
found the goal. They
took advantage of the space between our backs.”
Endicott's Karyn Plante scored the lone
goal for her squad with three minutes remaining in
play. Caitlin Flynn was credited with the
assist.
The Ephs hope to build off their strong start
and will visit Bates on Saturday, September 13 at 11:00 am for
their first taste of NESCAC competition this
season.
