Williamstown, MA.— In their 3rd NESCAC match of the season, the Ephs (4-2-1/NESCAC 1-1-1) faced off against the Trinity Bantams (1-5-0/NESCAC 0-3) and came out on top 2-1. Nathan Song tucked away the game-deciding goal off a pass from Nick Boardman. At 53:14, Boardman received the ball in the midfield and linked up with Song. The duo maneuvered their way between the Trinity center backs by means of deft combination play. Boardman laid the ball off to Song, who tucked the shot away past the Bantam goalkeeper Bernardo Simoes.
Trinity set the tone early on a short corner in the 4th minute. The ball was played to the feet of Peter Bronson, who whipped a cross to the back post. Matthew Moran met the delivery and headed the ball past Williams keeper Ben Diffley from 6 yards out.
The Ephs responded energetically and their press forced several Trinity turnovers.
The Ephs had a solid chance in the 29th minute off a floated free kick cross from Nick Ranieri. Will Felitto was able to jump above his marker to head the ball, but put it just wide of the right post.
At 39:52, Williams winger Justin Adams curled a ball into the box from the left side which fell to Tate Michelson. Michelson headed the ball across the 6 yard box and Dylan Kelemen brought the ball down to Jake Saudek. Saudek settled the pass and stroked the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
In the 59th minute, Trinity's Alistair Matule was able to beat a Williams defender and drove the ball into the box on a breakaway. Ben Diffley came out big and made a confident save to prevent the Bantams from equalizing.
The last 10 minutes of the game the Ephs locked down defensively and fought off the Trinity attack, securing the win.
Bernardo Simoes made 8 saves on the day with Ephs keeper Ben Diffley making 3.
"The guys did really well today and I'm really proud of how they responded against adversity," said head coach Steffen Siebert. "We worked extremely hard to get back into the game and I believe the result reflected our efforts."
Next up on the Ephs schedule is a NESCAC doubleheader weekend. On Saturday, Williams will travel to Amherst College to take on their Little Three rival at 2:30 PM. The following day, at 2:30 PM, Williams will pay a visit to Connecticut College.
At halftime the 1995 Williams Men's Soccer team that won the NCAA DIII title was recognized.
