Williamstown, MA – A 1-1 draw in regulation was not enough for the Ephs, who lost in unlucky fashion in overtime to fall out of the NESCAC tournament.
Lily Mark's first half goal was canceled out two minutes later by a long-range free kick from Colby midfielder Annie Liebich. A long ball over the top in the first half of overtime led to the winning goal.
The game was highly competitive for all 97 minutes. The Ephs got the first shot on target of the day in the 9
th minute. A nice passage of play between
Brianna Wright, Mark, and
Bria Abbiati led to a shot for Abbiati right outside of the box. It was claimed by Colby 'keeper MK Marshall. In the 15
th minute a shot from distance from the Mules sailed over the net.
Most of the action in the first period was on the Ephs' left side.
Piper Dupies was highly involved defensively and offensively for the whole half, as it looked like every time either team got the ball they would send it to that side. Dupies had a nice cross into the box in the 17
th minute to
Tori Huang. Huang, who had a battling performance in the midfield, headed it wide.
In the 23rd minute the Ephs found the breakthrough. An unsuccessful clearance from goal fell to the feet of a well-positioned Huang. Huang offloaded the ball to Mark, who turned and fired a left-footed strike into the left corner of the Colby net. It was a beautiful goal and a perfect start.
The elation didn't last long, as Colby got one back two minutes later in the 25
th minute. The Mules won a free kick over 30 yards out. Annie Liebich stepped up to it and went for the shot before either team was ready. It sailed towards the top left corner.
Margaret Huelin in goal for the Ephs did very well to get across her goal but was unable to get to the ball as it flew into the net.
Williams defended well throughout the entire game. A rotating cast of either
Ava Simunovic,
Leila Alvarez, or
Reece Willison were the center back pairing. They did very well to keep dangerous Colby forwards away from the goal for most of the game. In the 30
th minute Alvarez made a good challenge in her 18-yard box to stop a dribbling Colby player. It was one of many such moments as the Ephs' gameplan was built off of their defense's solidity.
In the 35
th minute Avery Barton for Colby had a long shot that hit the crossbar. A minute later
Sam Phan was dangerous on the opposite end. She picked up the ball in the box but at a tough angle. Her powerful shot went over the crossbar.
In the 43
rd minute, Colby almost looked like they had the go-ahead goal, as their #9 headed the ball very near to the top corner off of a corner. It was a relief for the Ephs to see it go wide, but one of only a few real opportunities for Colby in a first half that it seemed like Williams dominated.
In the last minute of the first half
Elizabeth Stophel had a nice dribble to the end line on the left flank. She crossed it towards Phan, whose shot was deflected.
Kelly Beale almost got the rebound in the net but she too was defended well in the box.
It was a good first half showing from both teams. Colby will count themselves lucky that they scored from the chance that they did. The Ephs came out roaring in the second half, but it was Colby who got the first chance.
Because of Williams' control, Colby had one dangerous play in their locker: kick the ball over the defense's heads and send their fast forwards to chase. In the 48
th minute a ball over the top found Mule forward Claire Walsh. She looked like she was through on goal, but
Ana Bozzi-Mackay came out and made an incredible save to keep the teams level.
In the 57
th min
Ansley Burns, who was so important at the base of midfield, had a free kick into the box from 25 yards out. It found Huang, and the header was just wide. The Ephs were on the attack again two minutes later as a ball from
Reece Willison over the top was chased down by Wright. Wright outran her defender and did some nice hold up play before laying it off to Mark. Mark's shot to the bottom corner was stopped by the goalkeeper.
In the 69
th minute, Colby played a cheeky free kick routine that ended with the ball in the back of Williams' net. The goal scorer was off sides by a wide margin, though, so the goal did not count.
The entire Williams team showed so much grit as regulation came to a close, clearing everything that came their way. The Ephs had what seemed like 10 consecutive corners as they pressed hard for the winning goal. They nearly had it in the 81
st minute as a Dupies corner kick fell to Huang. Huang's shot was somehow saved by the goalkeeper in a miraculous moment for Colby.
Wright and Huang combined in a nice play that also involved
Greta Pew in the 87
th minute. Pew went down the line and crossed it in for Wright, who lade the ball off for Huang. Under pressure, she got the shot off but it went over the net. The 90 minutes were up but two 10 minute golden-goal overtime periods loomed.
In the 4
th minute of OT a Burns free kick flew over the Colby goalkeeper and most of the defenders. A Colby player saved the ball off of the line before punting it over her own net to clear it away.
Williams pushed forward, hoping to get the goal that would win an exciting game of soccer. In the end, though, it was Colby who would benefit from the sudden death rule and end the game with a winner in the 7
th minute of overtime.
A Colby player booted the ball out of their half and into Williams'. Colby forward Abigail Jarvi was the first to it, and she barreled towards Bozzi-Mackay. The goalkeeper did a great job slowing her down, but Jarvi eventually got around her and shot. Williams players and fans could only look on in agony as the ball rolled into the net, ending the Ephs' NESCAC playoff run.
After the game, Eph head coach
Sarah Raymond said: "It's a heartbreaking way to finish our season. So proud of our efforts, we were not at our best in the first half but we came out firing in the second half and had momentum going our way. The goal came out of nowhere which is why it is so hard in this moment. This team is an incredible group of passionate, talented and driven players who are so tightly connected and that's the part that hurts most of all right now, knowing that it is the end for this amazing group."
It was a sad way to end a great season, as a team that had dug deep to pull out wins in game after game this year would fall to bad luck in the quarterfinals. A 6-2-2 record in NESCAC had them end the season third in the standings. Congrats to Seniors
Ava Simunovic,
Sam Phan,
Meredith Tutun,
Parker Harnett,
Blakeley Buckingham,
Tori Huang, and
Kelly Beale for excellent Williams Soccer careers.
