Box Score
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA -- Three unanswered goals at
the end of the fourth quarter allowed the Williams College men's
lacrosse team to fight off conference rival Trinity Saturday
afternoon at Renzie Lamb Field, 7-4.
Williams senior Bryan Wrapp scored three times in the win and
senior goalie Stephen Vrla made 14 saves as the Ephs improved to
4-3 overall, 3-1 in the NESCAC and snapped a three-game losing
streak in the process.
Williams hosts Conn. College Tuesday at 6 p.m.
"It was great to see Steve Vrla bounce back from a tough game to
only allow four goals today," Williams head coach George McCormack
said. "We're happy to be 3-1 in NESCAC, with our only conference
loss by one goal. But all the conference games are going to be like
this."
By "like this" McCormach no doubt was referencing the very hard
fought, measured battle his team had just won over the Bantams.
Each team treated every possession like it would be its last and
each loose groundball was fought over as if world peace depended on
it.
After one quarter, Trinity led 1-0. At halftime, it was 3-1
Williams. Trinity finally gained equal footing with the Ephs again
when Nick Shaheen whistled a quick shot past Vrla with 8:44
remaining in the game, knotting things at 4-all.
But the tie would last only one minute and 34 seconds. Williams
senior captain Richard Reuter found a small opening in th Bantams'
defensive alignment and threaded a pass to Tommy Murray, who found
himself alone in front of the Bantams goal. Murray turned and
quickly fired a shot past Bantam keeper Peter Johnson for a 5-4
lead with 7:10 left.
One of the keys to the victory for Williams was senior face-off
man Corey Jacobs, who won 10 of 14 face-offs on the day. Over the
final five minutes, that work would allow the Ephs to maintain
possession for the majority of time.
Wrapp was another key. His singular effort with 4:43 remaining
gave the Ephs a 6-4 advantage. Racing around the cage. Wrapp
appeared on the left side and somehow found a hole in the top
corner on the near side.
Only 53 seconds later, Wrapp was at it again, taking a pass
about 10 yards out, cutting back and then spinning to his right and
firing a shot from about 15 yards out that beat Johnson and made it
7-4.
"It was great to see senior Bryan Wrapp step up and score three
goals," McCormack said. "I thought we were sleepwalking in the
first quarter, a leftover from spring break, but we got better as
the game progressed, especially in the seocnd and fourth quarters."
Trinity held many of the statistical advantages, including a
30-21 shot advantage and a 32-30 slim lead in groundballs. Johnson
finished with nine saves. Harper Cullen scored twice for Trinity,
while Steve Manning added two assists.
For the Ephs, Sam Hargrove scored twice while Reuter finished
with two assists on the day.
