Box Score HARTFORD, Conn.—A stout first-half defensive performance propelled the No. 9 Trinity women's lacrosse team past No. 17 Williams on Saturday, 14-7. The win was Trinity's fifth straight over the Ephs, who also lost here by an identical score in 2013.
Hilary Cook scored three goals for the Ephs (1-2, 0-2 NESCAC) and is currently tied for second in conference scoring with 10 goals. Bridget Malicki added a pair of tallies for Williams, and leads the team with 11 points on the young season.
Caroline Hayes of Trinity (2-1, 1-1 NESCAC) led all scorers with six points on the afternoon, including four goals on four shots, while Martha Griffin scored four of her own and leads the conference with 11.
The Ephs struck first in the match, as the Ephs controlled the opening draw and got a goal from Cook just over two minutes into the match. But the Bantams went on a roll from there, scoring 11 of the game's next 13 goals over the next 36 minutes to turn the early deficit into an 11-3 lead with just over 20 minutes to play in the game. "We were kind of up and down, and inconsistent," said Williams coach Chris Mason. "We started off well, and then we got frazzled. We just can't dig a hole like that."
The Bantams' 11th goal prompted Mason to change goalies for a second time, as Margaret Draper, who had relieved Brett Bidstrup—usually an attacker—midway through the second half, yielded to Sara Lehman. Both Draper and Lehman missed the first game of the season due to commitments to the ice hockey team, with Draper coming on in relief during Tuesday's win over RPI. "Brett's very poised and calm and knows the game really well," said Mason of her decision to start Bidstrup. "We told her we'd probably put Margaret in at some point."
Briefly, the Ephs rallied after the second goalie change. Spurred on by a spate of Trinity fouls, the Ephs converted three straight free position shots (two from Cook, one from Nancy Palmer) in a span of just over two minutes to draw within five goals., forcing the Bantams to make a goaltending change of their own, replacing Emily Mooney with Zoe Ferguson., who made a trio of critical saves late to hold the Ephs to just a single goal in the game's final 15 minutes of play. "We picked it up in the second and started playing with more toughness and intensity," said Mason.
The Ephs now return home to take on Connecticut College on Wednesday evening. Game time is 7pm; both teams will be looking for their first conference victory.
