MEDFORD, MA—Williams (3-2, 1-2 NESCAC) fell 14-9 to NESCAC rival Tufts (3-2, 2-1 NESCAC). The Ephs and Jumbos have met 34 times since 1977 and the Ephs lead the all-time series 27-7.
Head Coach Chris Mason said "We just didn't look like we were ready to play the game. It's the first time that's happened to us this season and it was very frustrating. We just got in such a hole, and that's difficult to climb out of."
Tufts dominated the first half, scoring six unanswered goals. The Jumbos controlled all seven of the draws in the first half. Williams goalkeeper Julia Schreiber faced a stunning 18 shots in the first half, making 6 saves.
Mason continued saying "We weren't being tough enough on loose balls, and not tough enough defensively. Once we were down, we started to get panicky. We stopped trusting each other and began throwing the ball away."
The second half was like a different game, with the Ephs outscoring the Jumbos 9-8 in the second half. Williams junior Kaitlin Ellis scored the first goal of the second half—and the first Eph goal of the game—25 seconds into the half on a free position shot.
"We started to fight for the ball and fight for the game in the second half, but we were too late," Mason said. She concluded saying "We have to play them from the start to the finish and we didn't quite do that."
The Jumbos scored two more goals, but a galvanized Eph offense responded right away. Samantha Weinstein'13 and Emily Whicker'13 scored their first goals of the game on free position shots, making the score 8-3 in the Jumbo's favor. Tufts and Williams continued to trade goals for the remainder of the half. Ellis and Whicker each scored three more goals, but the Ephs were unable to overcome their early deficit, succumbing to the Jumbos 14-9.
The Ephs finished the game with 23 shots on net, 16 ground balls to the Jumbos' 17, and controlled 10 of the 18 draws taken in the second half. Schreiber made eight saves and forced two turnovers for the Ephs.
Williams will host RPI on Monday, March 28th. The game will be played under the lights of Renzie Lamb Field and will start at 5pm.
