Ephs Held to 0-0 Draw at Hamilton in Tough Inaugural Contest

CLINTON, NY -- The Ephs' new season had an exciting start in a game defined by strong goalkeeping and last-ditch defending on both ends. A dominant midfield display from the Ephs set a hopeful tone for the season to come.

Hamilton started the game strong, coming at the Ephs with two good chances in the first ten minutes of play. One was saved expertly by sophomore goalkeeper Margaret Huelin, while the second went just wide of the Williams net. 

The Ephs grew into the game, with captain Jaquelin Nordhoff ('24) and Tori Huang ('25) beginning to assert their dominance in the midfield. In the 19th minute, a marauding midfield run from Huang got the ball to captain Shae Rashoff, whose shot was blocked by the Hamilton defender. 

Hamilton went close in the 21st minute against the run of play, with Hamilton's Erin Rayhill firing a shot over the crossbar. 

The Ephs were knocking on the door towards the end of the second half. The Continentals' keeper Clare Robinson did well to save a Brianna Wright shot down to her right side in the 30th minute. A foul won by Williams first year Piper Dupies led to a free kick, which Nordhoff shot over the bar.

At the end of the first half, Hamilton's Shayna Polsky made a crucial interception on a through ball from senior Samantha Phan that was right on its way to first year Isabel Konijnenberg. 

Hamilton came roaring out in the second half, forcing important defensive contributions from the Ephs. A 52nd minute Hamilton free kick was tipped over the bar by goalkeeper Ana Bozzi-Mackay ('27), who was brought on at half time. Bozzi-Mackay made another save when the ensuing corner was attacked at the back post. 

In what came to be a defining moment in the game, Williams defender Paige Nelson came in clutch with a necessary slide tackle that prevented an incredible Hamilton chance in the 54th minute. Defender Sam Brown also made an important contribution, expertly holding up a Hamilton counterattack, enabling the rest of the team to get back in position.

Momentum swung back in the Ephs' favor for the last half hour, as big chances for Parker Harnett and Samantha Phan were snuffed out by the Hamilton 'keeper. 

In the final five minutes, the Ephs went close twice. After some good work down the right side by Ava Simunovic and Konijnenberg, the ball made its way to Nordhoff at the top of the box, who put her shot just wide. The final chance of the game came as Robinson saved Blakely Buckingham's near post shot in the 89th minute. 

Commenting after the game, Williams coach Sarah Raymond said "Overall really happy with how we performed today. first years had a chance to step in and play big moments in a conference game which will help them grow in confidence for our next ones. I thought we created some great scoring chances and I'm confident that we will put those away in the future. There was a lot to like!"

The impact made by first years cannot be understated, with an especially assured and combative performance coming from #23 Kianna Porter. 

A solid performance was unfortunately not crowned with a win, but the Ephs will look forward to their next game away at Castleton.