Williams Take Down No. 1 Ranked Amherst at Cole Field for the First Time Since 2005 in Historic 1-0 Win

Williamstown, Mass. – After end-to-end intensity and in a game where both sides gave every bit of blood, sweat, and tears they could muster, it was Williams College (1-2-0 NESCAC; 2-2-0)  first year Lorcan Mitchell who found the light when he buried a cross from fellow first year Alex Bethencourt in the 73rd Minute to give Williams their first victory over arch rivals, number 1 ranked Amherst College (1-1-0 NESCAC; 2-1-0) at Cole Field in 19 years.    

You could tell both sides wanted it badly in the first half. The Ephs and Mammoths came out with intensity, pressure, and no fear of contact (the first half saw 12 total fouls).  While Amherst started on the front foot, rigid Williams defensive shape and individual contribution helped them grow into the game and frustrated Amherst. 

 The action started in the 7th minute when senior Dylan Keleman received the ball on the top of the box and cut on his right foot for a shot that was blocked by a flailing Amherst defender. 

Only minutes later, Amherst was close to finding the back of the net when Mammoth forward Michael Cherico got his head on the end of a cross and redirected it only inches over the bar. 

Amherst had another dangerous opportunity in the 20th minute when Mammoth forward Aidan Curtis stripped the ball from junior Sam Gibson, putting him nearly through on goal. Gibson recognized that Curtis had acres of space to run into and made the sharp decision to bring him down. While Gibson's foul earned him a yellow card, it likely saved a goal. 

The Williams defensive heroics continued with two key defensive actions from two of the Ephs' senior captains. The first was in the 22nd minute, when an Amherst shot bound for the bottom right corner of the net was blocked by well-positioned senior Felipe Gutierrez, preventing a certain Amherst goal. The second came in the 30th minute when senior Dan Zhang had a great ball-winning tackle off Amherst star attacker Mohammed Nuhu, who the Ephs had in their back pocket for most of the match, leading Williams to a quick throw-in in sending sophomore Spencer Mix flying down the left wing, where he won a dangerous free kick. This type of end-to-end play, defense to offense, would eventually help Williams come out on top. 

The first half ended 0-0

The second half was no less high energy than the first, and it started with a shot in the 51st minute at the top of the box by Mammoth midfielder Niall Murphy off of an excellent short corner and a bit of combination play. Thankfully for Williams, the shot went wide. 

In the 53rd minute, the determination of the Williams defense was put on display yet again when first year Chase Caires put in an incredible slide tackle to pickpocket Amherst attacker Mohammed Nuhu and prevent him from being free in the box with the ball at his feet. 

The Ephs' defensive momentum translated into attacking momentum as the second half went on. In the 59th minute,  Spencer Mix won the ball off junior Henry Kirkman's long throw, turned well, and fired a quick shot that only just sailed over the bar. 



In the 65th minute, junior Mohamed Keussom weaved his way around Amherst midfielder Naill Murphy and would have been semi-through on goal if it weren't for a violent, tactical foul from Murphy, who received a yellow card for his offense. 

With the mounting Williams attack, something had to give. In the 73rd minute, a contested header in the final third fell to Alex Bethencourt.  Betencourt dribbled up the left wing and squared it across the box to Lorcan Mitchell, who, with a diagonal run, got into space and snuck the ball past Amherst goalkeeper Juan Perez to send the Williams fans, bench, and coaching staff into joyous pandemonium by giving Williams the 1-0 lead over Amherst.   

The match wasn't over yet, and the Ephs put their body on the line to defend their lead. In the 84th minute,  Amherst midfielder Wyatt McCarthy hit a curling shot that was nearly a heartbreaking equalizer if it hadn't been for Chase Caires, who came up huge again when he blocked McCarthy's shot off the goal line with his head, pushing the ball out for a corner. The danger wasn't over yet, as the preceding in swinging corner found the head of an Amherst attacker, who redirected it on frame. Senior goalkeeper Ben Diffley, eager to protect his net,  \valiantly tipped the shot over the bar to deny Amherst the tying goal.   

The remaining 5 minutes saw excellent game management and defensive structure from the Ephs, leading to a monumental 1-0 win.

Eph head coach Steffen Siebert praised his players after the hard-fought victory: "Whatever I will say will not do justice to the team performance every player on our team put in. Very happy the team got what they deserved after the 90 minutes. Now all focus is on Union for a Tuesday afternoon game on Cole." 

 The Ephs will now have their eyes on their next game on Tuesday against Union College at 4:30 PM on Cole Field.