Ephs fall 1-0 to Middlebury

Williamstown, MA –– The Williams College Ephs (8-5-2, 3-5-2 NESCAC) fell to the undefeated #3 Middlebury College Panthers (11-0-4, 7-0-3 NESCAC) 1-0 at home in their final game of the regular season.

In a thrilling showdown of unwavering defense and heart-pounding tension, the Ephs found themselves on the wrong side of a 1-0 final score as a pivotal penalty kick left their fans in stunned silence. In a game defined by resolute backlines and missed opportunities, the home team's valiant effort ultimately fell just short, leaving them grappling with a bitter taste of defeat on their home turf.

The first half was a tense, tightly contested 45 minutes, as both teams—talented and physically imposing to even extents—butted heads in the midfield and tried to break through each other's back lines. The Ephs lined up with three center backs and 5 midfielders, which allowed them to transition from defense to offense and back again fluidly and with force. Middlebury, on the other hand, threatened with skill and speed from their forwards, and looked ready to strike on the fast break at the drop of a hat. Ultimately, the battle, in all three stages of possession, resulted in a stalemate, and the Ephs were only able to generate one shot on target in the period.

The second half mirrored the first, with both teams displaying unyielding determination, as they seemed equally poised to dig out a hard-fought victory.

Middlebury created a solid chance when Gavin Randolph received a cross deep from the left side, and took a touch to evade the swarm of Williams defenders. Eph goalie Ben Diffley recovered well, and made a crucial save to keep things even at Cole Field. 

In the 48th minute, the Ephs were unlucky to concede a penalty after bringing down Middlebury attacker Jordan Saint-Louis. He took the penalty he earned, and placed his effort in the bottom right corner to put the Panthers up 1-0.   

To counter the high Panther press, Williams relied on the talent of its wingers to break through and bring the ball forward. Multiple times in the second half, Mohamed Keussom received the ball before slaloming through defenders advancing the ball forward. In the 58th minute, with two defenders on his back, Keussom rolled the ball forward, forcing one Panther to bite, before snatching it back and exploding down the wing. Keussom's flashy footwork drew praise from the Eph faithful and was at the source of the Ephs' best attacks. 

The Ephs came close to pulling one back in the 88th minute after Eamon Gara Grady rose above his defender to head a pass right on the 6-yard line. Unfortunately, no Eph attacker was able to latch onto the ball, and the Panthers cleared the ball out to assure the victory. 

Despite the result, Eph head coach Steffen Siebert lauded his team's performance against a strong Middlebury program: "Great to see how much the team came together and what we where able to create against one of the best teams in the country when adversity hit. Lots of positives to take from the game going into postseason." 

This Eph team has a lot to proud about and they will be eager to play next in the NESCAC Tournament  that will open on Saturday.