Waterville, ME - The #16 Williams College Ephs (7-6) entered this NESCAC game against the #11 Colby College Mules (10-4) looking to end a losing streak. In what started as a competitive encounter, in the second and third quarters, Colby seemed to figure out the Williams defense and kept pummeling shots inside to pull away decisively. Despite a few impressive showings for the Ephs, the onslaught of Colby shots earned the Mules a 13-5 victory.
Colby wasted no time getting on the board, sliding right in front of the Williams' goalie and slipping it into the top right of the goal for the early 1-0 lead. However, the Ephs came back decisively with
Cece Tauber tying the score by driving and scoring from a tough angle on the side of the goal. With a beautiful display of individual offense,
Lauren Morganlander scored after dancing around the Colby defenders for the 2-1 Eph lead. Halfway through the quarter, Colby would match Williams with a drive from the top of the crease for a high shot and goal, 2-2. Following up, Colby scored one more with a gorgeous pass right in front of the goal allowing the Mules to retake the lead at 3-2.
The second quarter began with a strong Mule offensive burst but credit to
Meaghan Day for the defensive efforts that allowed the Ephs to bring it downfield. Again the Ephs matched the Mules, with
Molly Hellman gobbling up a ground ball and making it possible for a Williams shot from
Claudia Russell which Colby saved. The Colby goalie had the Ephs' number so far in this game, preventing Eph goals on multiple occasions. Turning defense into offense, Colby earned two more goals through constant pressure on the inside of the crease and found just enough space to slip in a shot, 5-2 Colby. As was the story in the past handful of Williams NESCAC games, the energy seemed to drop for the Ephs when trailing. However, that would not be the case in this contest with
Franny Donohue returning the favor quickly cutting and scoring off an assist from
Sydney Puntus. Nevertheless, Colby did not take their foot off the gas with a powerful shot a few meters from the goal that had no chance of being saved, 6-3 Mule lead. The capable defenses from both teams kept the rest of the half quiet with another set of saves and a caused turnover for
Molly Hellman going into the half.
Entering the second half down 6-3, Williams still had a chance in this game. Colby though was not going to back down with an early turning shot for the 7-3 Mule lead. Excessive fouling has been a lingering issue for Williams lacrosse this season, and in what would be a quarter riddled with free-position attempts, mostly for the Mules,
Claudia Russell converted on one to shrink the lead to three and give hope for a comeback. However, Colby finally made two free-position shots on their next two possessions to quell any Eph momentum, 9-4 Colby. Williams took a timeout to assess their ways to make this game competitive again. The Mules found a lot of success in this game through inside passing plays as they entered double-digit goals with a cutting pass, 10-4 heading into the fourth quarter.
Certainly not the only area of improvement necessary in this competitive NESCAC division but another familiar foe presented itself for the Ephs, draw controls. While not as egregious compared to other recent defeats, the constant Mule possessions prevented the Ephs from stringing together successful offensive sets. This was on full display after an early fourth-quarter goal from
Franny Donohue from the free position was a one-off goal. Subsequently, Colby scored another free-position goal to grow their lead to a comfortable 11-5. Halfway into the fourth, Colby added another goal with a display of individual offense on a drive around the goal, 12-5. Undeterred, the Williams defense did not back down in the face of their deficit with first-year
Jade Lowe manning the top of the crease causing a turnover. Near the end of the game, the Mules scored one more such that two Colby players each had four goals in the game.
Regarding what went wrong for the Ephs in the second and third quarters, Head Coach
Alice Lee said, "We knew Colby had one of the highest shooting efficiencies and draw units going into the match, so we had the task of shooting at a higher percentage and winning back extra shots through defensive stops. Their persistent offensive pressure from the extra opportunities allowed them to crack through, especially with their free position shooting."
Williams has one last chance to close the regular season strong as they welcome undefeated Middlebury College to Farley-Lamb Field on Wednesday, April 24th at 6 pm.
