Box Score MIDDLETOWN, CT – A spectacularly matched game, Williams College (8-2-2, 6-1-1) tied 0-0 with Wesleyan University (5-4-3, 3-3-2) and secured the Little Three Title for the 17
th time in team history.
Defense dominated the field on both sides of the midfield, allowing 11 shots for the Ephs and 7 for the Cardinals. Senior
Maria Chapman stayed fast in the back half, beating Wesleyan offense to the ball and clearing it back to Williams' possession.
The first shot came from Wesleyan in the 20
th minute, the play started by a free kick kept active and ending with senior goalkeeper
Leyla Kamshad handling the ball well. A Williams response came soon after, junior
Claire Tolliver and senior
Emma Lynch creating an opportunity for Tolliver to shoot, which was saved by Cardinals goalie Sarah Hammond.
Sophomore
Meredith Tutun also had a strong showing, fighting to keep the ball in the Ephs possession throughout the game and sending a deep strike just left of the goal in the 27
th minute to continue heavy pressure from Williams.
Wesleyan took their scoring opportunities farther, taking several long shots on goal. Kamshad made several key saves, two of them back-to-back in the second half. A Cardinal drive was first blocked by Eph defense before Kamshad came out to smother the ball, two minutes later snagging a Wesleyan header.
Both Williams and Wesleyan showed off strong defense today, preventing the other's offense from capitalizing on any scoring drives. Eph head coach Sarah Raymond said after the game, "First Little 3 title for the majority of this team so that's fun. Really proud of the defensive efforts the team showed today after a long and early bus ride and facing a really fired up Wesleyan. I didn't think we were at our best offensively so disappointed in that, but we have a chance to improve in that area tomorrow. All credit to Wesleyan who made it hard for us to settle. We're looking forward to putting together a more complete performance tomorrow."
The Williams team will continue their play tomorrow at home against Eastern Connecticut State at 1:00pm.
