WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. Though Union (7-6) was spurred into
offensive intensity in the final minutes of the second frame
resulting in a goal, it was not enough to overcome William's (3-9)
three-point advantage Wednesday night at Renzie-Lamb Field where
the Ephs tallied three consecutive goals to clinch the win.
All three goals were scored and assisted by different Eph teammates
and nearly all of William's squad received playing time reflecting
a comprehensive team effort in this non-conference victory.
Junior Eph Meera Sivalingam
(Philadelphia, Penn.) found the back of the net for the game
winning goal early in the first at 3:18 off an assist by Margie Fulton
(Wesleyan, Mass.) catalyzing early offensive momentum and defensive
intensity for Williams from the outset of the
competition. At the fifteen minute mark, a flurry in
front of the Union cage resulted in three consecutive shots on goal
for the Ephs, the second of which was stopped and recorded as a
defensive save for Dutchwoman Kelsey MacElroy momentarily stepping
in for senior goalie Sarah Rios.
5:00 minutes before the end of the first, defensive standout Amy
McLaughlin (Topsfield, Mass.) dribbled the ball to the top of the
circle and made good on her shot bringing the score to 2-0 in the
Ephs' favor. A 15-5 shot advantage reflected William's
hard-hitting offense in the first frame, though the Dutchwomen
tallied one more penalty corner than the Ephs with a 4-3 lead.
Returning after the half, sophomore Eph Nicole Perry
(Yorktown, NY) connected with Karyn Moss (Medfield,
Mass.) who directed the ball past Rios for the Ephs' third and
final goal of the contest at 42:28. Union picked up their
offensive intensity with a 15-4 shot advantage and a 8-3 penalty
corner edge on the half, but Williams responded with elevated
defensive pressure. Midway through the frame, McLaughlin
tallied a defensive save off an offensive Dutchwoman play in
traffic. Union penetrated the Ephs' defensive line at 66:12
and scored a goal returning the point disparity to 2 at 3-1.
Williams clinched the non-conference win with the final buzzer
rising to a 3-9 record while the Dutchwoman dropped to 7-6 on the
season.
During her 66:12 spent in the cage, Eph senior goalie Katrina
Tulla (New Canaan, Conn.) tallied 8 saves and 1 goal allowed until
freshman goalkeeper Ariana
Spiliotes (Bethesda, MD) was substituted in for the remaining
3:48 and allowed no goals and had no saves. Rios had 7 saves
and 3 goals allowed for Union for the 70 minutes of play.
Coach Alix Burrale commented on the game, "Our hard work in
practice and tough schedule this season really paid off in
tonight's competition. We finally elevated our game and
played at the level we should."
Williams plays at Tufts this Saturday at 1PM.
