WALTHAM, MA -- Led by four goals from Sara Wild and a goal apiece from Kristine Nakada and Bridget Gallagher, the Ephs sailed to a 6-0 victory over Brandeis in the second round of the NCAA tournament. The game, which was played at Brandeis, moved the Ephs to 14-3-2 on the year (5-2-2 NESCAC). Brandeis finished its season with a record of 15-5-1 (4-3 UAA). Today's match was the first ever between Williams and Brandeis.
The Ephs went up early and never looked back. Just 3:30 into the game, Caitlyn Clark sent a nice through ball to Wild. Wild finished to give the Ephs the quick 1-0 lead. Clark is second only to Wild on assists this season; she has seven.
Just over 20 minutes later, Wild added her second goal. Brett Eisenhart passed the ball to Wild, who scored on a wide open net after after Brandeis goalie Francine Kofinas went down. Kofinas, who played just over two thirds of the game, faced 19 Eph shots on the day and recorded two saves while allowing four goals. In net for the Ephs in the first half was Laura Wann, who recorded two saves on the day. The Ephs outshot Brandeis 14 to three in the first half.
In the 55th minute, Wild scored again. After a foul in the box, Williams was awarded a penalty kick. Wild stepped up and finished to give herself a hat trick. Just four minutes later, Wild added another goal off of a free kick at the top of the box. Wild is now tied with Eisenhart with 12 goals on the season. They lead the team. Wild is the sole leader in points with 33. Coach Michelyne Pinard commented on Wild after the game: "Sara is so good at getting behind our opponents' backs and midfielders -- she's very sneaky and that makes her hard to track. She was able to get herself into a position where she could take advantage of some opportunities."
Wild's four goals on the day ties a school record for goals in a postseason game; Mindy Thompson scored four in a 1996 ECAC first round game. Said Wild about her day, "This is something special. I feel like it was all coincidence. The first two goals I just happened to be in the right place and was able to benefit from someone else's hard work." Wild went on to comment on the rhythm of today's game: "Everything just clicked today. It felt so good; we were flying out there. Our quick passes up top were great, and that allowed us to use the width of the field to our advantage. Our wide forwards made some great passes, they were perfect, and I was just there waiting for them."
Said Pinard about the game: "After watching [Brandeis] yesterday, we knew they were really quick, especially 1v.1, so our goal was to deny them the ball, and I think our backs did an excellent job of that today." She also said, "I think after yesterday where we were forced to create opportunities in tight quarters, it was nice to play a team today that was moving forward, because that allowed us more space to work with. We played our game and settled into our style of play early on, and that helped us settle down."
For the fifth goal, Annelise Snyder connected with Nakada with just under ten minutes to play. Nakada totals four goals on the season. The final goal came with 13 seconds to play in the game. Gallagher found the back of the net for her third goal of the year. The goal was unassisted.
The Ephs recorded another 14 shots in the second half. Along with Wild's six shots, Snyder added 6 shots of her own. They led the team on the day. Brandeis took 7 shots. In goal for the Ephs for the final 45 minutes was Julia Schreiber, who recorded three saves on the day.
The Ephs move on to the third round of the tournament, which will take place later this week. Their opponent is yet to be determined.
