Box Score Williams (1-0) tops Colby (1-1) by a score of 3-2 in an exciting finish.
Northampton, MA -- The Williams College field hockey team (1-0) scpred two goals in the final 5:34 to edge Colby (1-1) 3-2 in the Ephs' season opener.
As the new Weston Field at Williams enters its final stages of preparation, the Ephs had to move their game against Colby to Smith College.
After a tough loss to the Mules last year, the Ephs were ready for redemption.
This season the Ephs boast a new lineup with four forwards, three middies, and three defenders. The tough defense, anchored by senior co-captain Annie Rojas in the center and flanked by her quick teammates sophomore Katie Gallop and senior Jackie Porfilio, allow the Ephs to take an aggressive offensive approach.
In order to facilitate a fast, offensive approach, today Eph head coach Alix Barrale made constant use of her depth. As she noted after the game, "The strategy was: we knew it was going to be hot...and everybody could step in and be able to contribute...Our goal was to never to be tired as a team, and I think we accomplished that."
Colby came out strong and their leading scorer from last season, junior Megan Fortier, put away a goal early (3:15) after capitalizing on a penalty stroke.
Eph sophomore Kit Rosen was a large presence on the field as play throughout the first half centered largely on the right side of the field. The Williams team picked up on Rosen's energy and put it to use to keep the Mules at bay.
The halftime score of 1-0 in favor of Colby did not reflect that the Ephs maintained possession for much of the half. The early lead by Colby prompted a stronger effort and increased intensity from the Ephs. This was shown in ball possession and shot count, which was equal at seven apiece after the first half.
Corners were the name of the game for the Ephs today. Ten minutes in, Williams received a corner after a solid shot attempt by senior co-captain Caitlin Conlon. It resulted in another corner after a missed pass, where Conlon again fired another shot that was high-sticked by a teammate. Junior Annie VanWagenen also gave the Ephs two near goals toward the end of the first half with a fast break against three defenders followed by a powerful shot off a corner that went just wide.
A last Colby attempt at goal with under a minute left was blocked by a diving save by sophomore Margaret Draper. Barrale was very pleased with Draper's first appearance in net this season—or ever.
After the half, Barrale switched up the lineup. Williams continued to push and pressure Colby all over the field. With countless attempts at corners, Williams was waiting for one to fall, but were not striking the ball like they hoped.
However at 26:19, off a great team effort on a corner, sophomore Rachel Brissette scored off a rebound. This sparked another Eph surge of energy as they followed with three quick corners. Conlon began pushing on the corners, which resulted in a much smoother run plays and scoring opportunities.
At 21:43, Erin Maguire of Colby received a green card, leaving a prime opportunity for the Ephs to push ahead, but unfortunately Wiliams was not able to capitalize. Then at 15:28, despite a great kick clear by Draper, Colby sophomore McKayla Blanch nailed a shot into the far corner after some defensive hesitation, putting the Mules up 2-1.
The Ephs attempted a response a few minutes later off a corner, but Conlon's shot just missed off the left post. In the ensuing ten minutes, Colby possessed the ball and the Ephs worked hard to continuously clear it.
Coach Barrale put in fresh legs and the Ephs pressured for a corner. First year Alex Bennett fired a shot from the top after stopping it for herself. Her powerful grounder bounced off an attempted block by a Colby defender before slipping in the left side of the cage with 6:02 left.
In the anticipation of an overtime session, Barrale took out her more experienced players so they were ready to go. This strategy came with a side effect of a goal as the younger players subbed in performed well.
With the young fresh legs still in the game, Williams knocked in another goal off a team-wide effort, to prevent the game from entering overtime. After her team cleared it out of its defensive end, first year Julianna Kostas received a pass and sent it to junior Claire Swingle who scored with just 2:11 remaining.
An exciting end to the game leaves hope for a successful season, especially with the strong performances from the younger team members. As Barrale said, "We had so many different people doing great things...there's a lot to build on here."
On the day the Ephs' Margaret Draper recorded five saves in goal, while Colby's Sarah Evans was called on to make 12 saves.
Williams will next see action versus Keene State at home Tuesday, September 9 at 6:00 PM.
