Hartford, Conn – A constant barrage of chances through the lines for the Williams College Ephs (2-2-0 NESCAC; 4-2-0) culminated in two back-to-back penalty kicks in the 77th and 79th minutes that saw them best the Trinity College Bantams (0-4-0 NESCAC; 1-4-0) 2-0. Both penalties were earned and taken by first year
Lorcan Mitchell. His first penalty was saved, but it wouldn't matter thanks to the quick instincts of junior
Mohamed Keussom, who buried the rebound. Only 2 minutes later, Mitchell would get a second chance at the spot. He would not miss again, giving the Ephs the 2-0 away win against Trinity.
The first half saw the Ephs dominate the Bantams on both ends of the pitch. The Ephs beat the Trinity fullbacks over and over again and hit them in wide areas. Save for one early fortunate chance froma Trinity striker, the Bantams had little to show on their end. Despite the pressure from the Ephs, they were unable to break through.
While Williams controlled the first half, it was Trinity that nearly drew first blood in the second half when attacker Nick Bellack received a good ball from midfield in the box. Under pressure, Bellack hit it over the bar.
Much to their delight, Williams struck back quickly when junior Henry Kirkman capitalized on an errant Bantam back pass in the box in the 5th minute. However, keeper Nate Dyott was quick off his line to keep Kirkman off balance and force his shot over the bar.
A minute later, sophomore Spencer Mix capitalized on a bouncing ball and played to Mohamed Keussom, who shielded his defender well before ripping a shot. Again, Dyott reacted quickly with a leg save.
In the 10th minute, Henry Kirkman looked dangerous again when he received a good ball from sophomore Spencer Mix in the left channel and beat his man with pace and close control of the ball. The resulting shot went just wide, hitting side netting.
The Ephs thought they had broken through in the 15th minute when Atticus Ross hit a ball into the box from deep, and first-year Ben Brown, on the back post with deft head movement, nodded the ball into the back of the net. Unfortunately for the Ephs, Brown was just offside, and the goal was called off.
It was Bantam Nick Bellack, again, who put a little bit of pressure on the Ephs in the 20th minute when he struck a low-driven ball from the right side that was meant to be a cross but skipped toward goal. senior goalkeeper Ben Diffley, with zero hesitation, snuffed out the danger and dove on the ball.
In the 23rd minute, a Henry Kirman long throw into the box bounced to sophomore Jeff Stauffer, who, back to goal, attempted a bicycle kick and only missed the ball by inches. Mohamed Keussom, trying to clean up the loose ends, hit the rebound just wide on the left side of the goal. The half ended with some excellent Eph combination play. In the 44th minute, it was senior David Wang who started an attack when he passed the ball to sophomore Kellan Grace who, via give and go, sent first year Alex Bethencourt into a half space on the right side of the box. Bethencourt shot, but a well-positioned Nate Dyott was able to make the save.
The first half concluded 0-0.
Like the first half, Trinity had the first dangerous chance when, in he 48th minute, Bantam Kieran Macabe hit a quick shot into the box. sophomore Griffin Labonski jerked his head at almost instant speed to see the ball go out of harm's way.
In the 50th minute, Williams Dominance resumed when Kellan Grace hit a low ball to the top of the box, which Spencer Mix was able to hit the first time. Mix had the Bantam goalkeeper completely beat, but unfortunately for the Ephs, it floated over the bar and hit top netting.
In the 54th minute, the Bantams looked scary for a second when their striker Nick Bellack hit a rebounded ball hard at the top of the box at goal. Despite the shot's power, it was a comfortable save for Goal Keeper Ben Diffley.
In the 58th minute, Henry Kirkman broke through the midfield press with a stunning helicopter move. Once in space, Kirkman played the ball to senior Tate Michelson, who laid it back to him on the left wing. Kirkman fired off a shot, but yet again, the Bantam defense stood strong and repelled the attack.
The tempo of the game shifted dramatically in the 73rd minute when Bantam midfielder Ian Spiro aggressively mistimed a tackle on Eph Senior David Wang and hit him studds up in the leg. The referee gave Spiro a more than deserved red card for his reckless tackle, reducing Trinity to 10 men.
Down a man, the pressure would prove too much for the Bantams. In the 77th minute, first year Lorcan Mitchell got tripped up in the box and earned a penalty. Having earned the penalty, it would be Lorcan who would take the kick from the spot. The first year stepped up and drilled the penalty but Nate Dyott, brilliantly dove and saved it, spilling the ball in the middle of the box. Mohamed Keussom recognized that the play wasn't over, sprinted to the rebound, and buried the loose ball to give Williams the 1-0 lead.
The misery wasn't over for Trinity. In the 79th minute, Lorcan Mitchell, eager to make up for his early penalty miss, was challenged by the Bantam goalkeeper for a loose ball in the box. Dyott took a wild dive and pawed Mitchell in the face. Mitchell would get a chance to make up for his earlier penalty miss with yet another penalty kick call and a red card for Goalkeeper Nate Dyott to bring the Bantams down to 9 men. Mitchell would not miss this time, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to double the Ephs' lead.
Down two men and with their spirits broken, Trinity had little to nothing left in the tank in the last 10 minutes. The game ended a 2-0 win for the Ephs.
A happy Steffen Siebert commented on his team's hard-fought victory: "Going on the road in NESCAC is never easy so I couldn't be more happy for the team coming away with a shutout victory! Great game on the ball from our team, creating lots of opportunities by playing through Trinity's defensive lines, which ultimately resulted in getting the pks to win the game for us."
The Ephs will play the second game of their weekend doubleheader, tomorrow at 2 PM at Western Connecticut State University..
