AMHERST, MA -- After yesterday's semi-final, Coach Michelyne Pinard said that "[winning a fourth consecutive NESCAC championship] would only be sweeter to do on the Amherst field [while] beating Amherst." She was right. With Sara Wild's game-winning goal late in the second half, the Ephs won their fourth straight NESCAC title today.
After traveling to Amherst for the second day in a row, the Ephs battled the Jeffs the whole game before leaving the field with the 1-0 victory. Amherst (8-7-2, 5-2-2 NESCAC) and Williams (12-3-2, 5-2-2) faced off earlier in the season at Cole Field; Amherst won that game 1-0. After the game, Coach Pinard said, "For these kids [to travel to Amherst] to avenge their loss [from earlier in the season] is what athletics is all about." A speechless Wild also commented after the game: "If we couldn't play at Cole, beating Amherst on Amherst field… [you] couldn't find a better way to win the league."
The Ephs were aggressive from the very beginning. Just under six minutes into the game, Wild took their only corner of the game. In the box, Kara Duggan headed the ball off the kick. The ball went towards the left of the goal, and Brett Eisenhart and Amherst goalie Allie Horwitz raced after the ball. Horwitz just beat Eisenhart out to pick up the loose ball and clear it out.
Amherst was also ready on offense. In the 15th minute of the game, Laura Wann came out of the box to pick up the ball and knocked over an Amherst player. Wann was awarded a yellow card. The free kick resulted in a shot and save by Wann. Wann recorded two saves in the half.
Williams's best opportunity of the half came just under five minutes later. Amherst was called for a handball. Wild, Eisenhart, and Bridget Gallagher set up for the free kick. Gallagher ran off the ball to the left, and Eisenhart ran off to the right. Wild hit Eisenhart in stride with a beautiful ball, but Eisenhart's shot went just wide of the net. Although there were a handful of opportunities throughout the rest of the half, the game remained a 0-0 draw going into halftime.
Amherst was explosive off of the first whistle in the second half. In the first minute of the half, Jackie Hirsch carried the ball down the field and crossed the ball to Hannah Cooper. Cooper's shot went wide.
In the 56th minute, it looked as if the Ephs might take the lead. Tyler Rainer brought the ball up the left side of the field and passed it to Caitlyn Clark on the right. Clark passed inside to Eisenhart who fired one at the net. The shot hit off the crossbar and looked like it might roll in the net until Horwitz located it.
With about 28 minutes to go, Amherst's golden opportunity appeared. Senior Julia Schreiber came out of the net for Williams to make a save. After going down, the ball came loose. Cooper was the offensive threat again for Amherst, but her shot on the open net went wide.
With 16:37 to play, Williams finally found the answer. Freshman Hayley Cook, who received a pass from Annelise Snyder, passed the ball from the left side to Sara Wild on the right. Wild was by herself just past the defenders. She placed the ball perfectly in the lower left corner of the net. Both Cook and Snyder were credited with the assist. When asked what she thinks about during those big moments, Wild said, "There's not much going through your mind. You're so in the moment. You have to think 'This is my only chance' every time." Coach Pinard said, though, "The bigger the game, the more [Sara]'s going to show up. She is a consistent presence for 90 minutes every game, but it's the big moments she comes through [for]. It shows how competitive she is. She loves the big moments, and it shows."
With its final breath, Amherst tried one last time to tie up the game. With just over six minutes to play, Hirsch took a free kick from just outside of the box on the left side. Maureen Griffin was able to get a foot on the ball in the air. The shot sailed just over the net though.
The defensive unit of Chelsea Davies, Elizabeth Danhakl, Anne Marie Burke, and Sachi Siegelman came up huge for the Ephs today. They consistently cleared balls out and stopped Amherst's runs. In addition, Duggan stopped multiple free kicks by heading the ball out of the box.
This year's seniors – Burke, Danhakl, Duggan, Annie Neil, Jacqueline Russo, Rainer, Schreiber, Snyder, and Wild – have won a NESCAC championship in all of four of their years at Williams. They hold an all-time record of 67-6-3 and a regular season NESCAC record of 31-2-3. They are 11-0 in NESCAC tournament games. Said the emotional Wild after the game, "It just feels so good [to win a fourth consecutive NESCAC championship] because we've been working so hard. The seniors my freshman year worked so hard, and they're who turned the program around and started it. We're just following them." Coach Pinard said, "[Winning a fourth consecutive NESCAC title] is a bit surreal, knowing how competitive this league is and how good the teams are. It's a testament to how hard [this team] works, how much they love each other, and how much they're willing to put it all out there."
The Ephs look to continue their season in the NCAA tournament, which begins this week. Tournament seeding will be announced on Monday morning. Coach Pinard said, "November – it's a whole new season. I feel so good about how much we improve every game. We're ready to take on anyone. We just want to win a national championship."
