Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA–Williams (9-5, 4-4
NESCAC) battled through three overtime periods, but were unable to
beat Bowdoin (9-4, 5-2 NESCAC) The heartbreaking loss to the number
one Polar Bears snapped the Ephs' six game winning streak.
Bowdoin and Williams have met 22 times in their history, and
although the Ephs lead the series 13-8, Bowdoin has won the
previous five encounters. Julia Schreiber made 10 saves, and
freshman Sam Weinstein led the Eph offense with a season-high six
goals.
Senior co-captain Whitney Thayer got the Eph scoring off
to a start, netting two goals in the first four minutes. Bowdoin
returned fire before sophomore Meera Sivalingam scored. Bowdoin and
Sivalingam each scored one more time before the Polar Bears went on
a four-goal scoring streak. Weinstein was able to snap the streak,
scoring her first goal of the game. Williams could not reclaim the
momentum, and Bowdoin scored one more goal before the close of the
half.
Down 7-5 at half-time, the Ephs came out of the break
looking to reclaim the lead. The Polar Bears scored first, but
Thayer was able to put one behind Bowdoin goalkeeper Tara Connolly.
Bowdoin went on their second offensive spree of the day, scoring
three goals in as many minutes. Finally, with twenty minutes left
to play, Sivalingam beat her defender one-on-one sparking the first
real Eph offensive of the game. One minute later, junior Anne Marie
Burke landed a timely check on a Bowdoin player, knocking the ball
to the ground. Weinstein picked up the ball and embarked on a
full-field breakaway, powering past several defenders to score.
Weinstein then scored two more goals in the next three minutes,
closing the Polar Bears' lead to 11-10. Head Coach Chris
Mason observed that “Sam got to the point where she was
really confident, and she beat them with her agility and quickness
as well as her aggressiveness. I think Bowdoin got a little
nervous.” Polar Bear Carolyn Gorajek snuck in another goal,
but Weinstein struck again, scoring off a pass from sophomore Katie
Ellis, once again making the game a one-goal game.
The two teams remained neck-and-neck, with both teams
playing tough defense. With 2:04 left to play, Burke received a
yellow card, putting the Ephs a man-down in the midfield. 40
seconds later, Schreiber received a yellow card for the same
offense. Sophomore Kate Foley entered the game in her place. Mason
said “We felt that Kate would do a good job, and she did. We
didn't give up any goals.” With 44 seconds remaining in
the game, Weinstein whipped a ball past Connolly, tying the score
and sending the two teams into overtime.
Schreiber re-entered the game halfway through the first
overtime period, and the first two overtimes were scoreless, with
each team continuing to play good defense. Both each teams
generated good scoring chances, but neither was able to capitalize.
Finally, with 1:40 into the third overtime, Gorajek beat her
defender and launched a shot that rolled off of Schreiber's
hip to end the game.
Mason summed up the game saying “it's frustrating
because if you have a great comeback like we did, you want to win,
and you just expect to feel so elated.”
Williams travels to NESCAC rival Middlebury to close the
regular season on April 30 at 4:30pm.
