WILLIAMSTOWN, MA: Williams (1-1) defeated MIT (2-2) 11-2 today at Renzie Lamb Field. The Ephs has won the last four times they have played the Engineers.
Williams lost the draw, but quickly recovered, moving the ball downfield. Kaitlin Ellis'12 hit Margie Fulton'12, who scored, recording the first goal of the game. The Ephs continued to dominate, but a missed pass gave the Engineers a chance at generating momentum. MIT sustained pressure in Williams' defensive end, and had their first scoring chance in the 26th minute, but Julia Schreiber'11 made the save.
Williams continued to pressure MIT, registering two more goals before the Engineers had another viable scoring chance. Samantha Weinstein'13 scored her first goal of the game at 24:59. She was assisted by Ellis. She was followed a minutes later by Meera Sivalingam'12, who received the ball to the left of the goal, and drove around the defense to score an unassisted goal. MIT scoring chance came when Schreiber intercepted an Engineer pass, running out of the net to attempt a clear. Williams fumbled the catch, and MIT attacked the open net. Schreiber made a diving save across the slot to block the incoming shot.
The Ephs recovered, with Fulton and Ellis combining for another two goals before the Engineers scored their first goal with 18:48 on the clock, making the score 5-1 in the Ephs' favor. Ellis, assisted by Fulton, got on the board at 17:00 scoring her first goal of the game, placing the ball just inside the post on the goalie's stick side. The Ephs continued their pressure, with Stephanie Gallo'14, assisted by Fulton, scoring the team's seventh goal. A timely interception by Williams gave Fulton the ball who went in on a 2-on-1 against a lone MIT defender. Fulton waited for the player to commit before slipping the ball to the now wide-open Gallo. Williams maintained momentum, creating more serious scoring chances, including several low cuts by Katie Pettengill'13.
The Engineers got their next real scoring chance at 10:30, when an attacker picked up serious speed, beating several Eph defenders before launching a shot at the waiting Schreiber, who handily made the save. The game remained scoreless for the final fifteen minutes of the half. Williams finished the half up 7-1.
Head Coach Chris Mason said "Elizabeth Ryan'13 and Rebecca McGovern'14 did a good job defensively. We were able to get all the field players in, and I thought they did a good job."
MIT came out of halftime with renewed energy, winning the draw and setting up in the Ephs' defensive end. Williams quickly regained the ball, moving it up field. A few fouls by Williams resulted in free-outs for MIT, but Williams quickly regained ball control. The play continued to swing from one end to other, without either team gaining any real momentum. Things seemed to change when Engineer Laura Wacker received a yellow card at 24:08 for a dangerous followthrough. However, Williams was unable to capitalize on their sustained offensive pressure.
Weinstein scored her second goal of the game at 12:45, getting the Ephs back on back on the bard after over 30 minutes of scoreless play. Williams' energy returned following, the goal. Weinstein had several other scoring chances before scoring her third goal, which she scored after intercepting an Engineer goalie clear with 10:32 remaining. First year Emily Jablonski recorded her first collegiate goal, assisted by Fulton, with just under five minutes left to play in the game. Jablonski received the ball while cutting through the 8, and putting the ball over the goalie Allison Hamilos' head.
Engineer Kelly Duncan scored MIT's second goal of the game, making the score 10-2 with 4:39 left to play. Williams wasn't finished though. After making a save, Schreiber cleared the ball three-quarters of the way down field, looking for Weinstein, but finding Alex Sera'13 instead. Sera drove toward MIT's net, and found Maggie MacCallum'14. This was MacCallum's first career goal, and the final goal of the game. Mason said "It was nice to see Maggie get her first goal on her grandfather's field, even though he was in Florida and missed it. Alex made a nice play to get her the ball."
Schreiber faced nine shots on goal, making seven saves. The final score 11-2 in the Ephs' favor.
Mason concluded, saying "the game was a little sloppy. Even though we were under 20 turnovers, it felt very sloppy, and we're weren't as aggressive defensively as I'd like us to be. I'd like us to fight for ground balls a bit more."
Williams will start their spring break tour at Bates on March 19th. The Ephs and Bobcats have been playing each other since 1988, and Williams leads the all-time series 28-5. The game begins in Lewiston at 12pm.
