Box
Score
WATERVILLE, ME –
Williams Women's lacrosse (13-6) lost 8-7 to Hamilton (15-2),
the defending NCAA champion, in the NCAA round of
sixteen. Williams recovered from a 5-0 deficit
to pull within one, but the Ephs were unable to take the lead away
from the Continentals.
The game remained scoreless for the first 18
minutes of play largely due to strong Williams defense and
excellent goaltending from sophomore Julia
Schreiber.
Hamilton's Audrey Nebergall scored
the first goal of the game on a free position shot at
11:59. Continental Hilary Saverin netted a pass from
Kaillie Briscoe soon after, and Nebergall rounded out the scoring
in the first half with another successful free position attempt at
6:33. Hamilton ended the half with a 3-0 lead.
The Continentals scored two more goals in the
first four minutes of the second half, but Williams began making up
their 5-0 deficit at 26:18 when junior Whitney Thayer scored on a
free position shot.
Hamilton's Katie Marek netted a goal at
23:32, but junior Alice Nelson scored on two free position attempt
in a row to make the score 6-3 with 19:51 to play. Junior Tina
Nawrocki scored on a pass from senior Brit Spackman to bring the
Ephs within two, but Hamilton re-extended their lead to three goals
less than a minute later.
With a 7-4 advantage and 17 minutes to play,
Hamilton began a stall, but Williams played aggressive defense and
forced the Continentials to make errors. Spackman scored an
unassisted goal for the Ephs at 10:16 but Hamilton again responded
in kind less then a minute later to make the score
8-5.
Williams continued to thwart the Hamilton
stall, and Spackman and senior Julia Nawrocki both scored to bring
the Ephs within one with 5:47 left on the clock.
Despite several chances for the Ephs in the last five minutes,
Hamilton managed to hold on to their lead and win the game
8-7.
Spackman led the Ephs in points with two goals
and an assist, while Nebergall notched a hat trick for the
Continentals.
Schreiber made 11 saves for the Williams while
Kate Fowler tallied 8 for Hamilton.
“It is never fun to lose, but it was a
well-played loss” commented Williams assistant coach Alix
Baralle.
“Schreiber and our defense did a great job holding off a
strong attack, and once we started winning the draws and were
patient on offense the game really turned
around.” She noted that the senior's
leadership really made a difference in the second half.
Ephs head Coach Chris Mason added “I am
really proud of how well we did this season. We
really worked hard to achieve our potential.”
