WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - An early goal from Bria Abbiati and strong defense throughout gave the Williams College women's soccer team a 1-0 victory over Wesleyan University.
The 9th-ranked Ephs improve to 7-1-3 on the season and capture the Little Three title, having beaten Amherst 1-0 on the road earlier in the season.
The team also honored seniors Brianna Wright, Paige Nelson, Ansley Burns, and goalkeeper Margaret Huelin, who earned her seventh shutout of the season in the victory.
"It was a big win for us today," said Head Coach Sarah Raymond after the match. "While we didn't always play at our best, we certainly competed for every minute. I thought Ansley, Ki [Kianna Porter], Elle [Long] and Emmy [Chung] dominated the balls in the air in the midfield which really limited Wesleyan's opportunities."
Nelson and Huelin were both strong in defense, playing the full 90 minutes, the only two Ephs to play the full match. Burns started and played 54 minutes and helped in the build-up to the team's goal, and Wright led the team with four shots, including two on goal.
Abbiati was a force in the early minutes, getting a shot on goal just 1:40 into the match, and then scoring on her second opportunity with just 9:33 gone.Â
The goal came as a result of both great team play and some individual brilliance. After some nice passing in the midfield from the Ephs, Burns played a long ball up toward Elizabeth Stophel, and Wesleyan conceded a throw-in. Burns then found Stophel again, and the sophomore used fancy footwork to beat her defender twice and get an open look to cross low and into the box. Abbiati battled to get on the end of the pass, tucking a shot into the corner of the net.
The assist was Stophel's team-leading sixth of the season, and it was Abbiati's second goal of the campaign.
Williams dominated the match, outshooting the 20th-ranked Cardinals 15-8, including a 10-2 advantage in shots on goal. Wesleyan threatened late with a shot with just over a minute left, but Huelin made one of her two saves to preserve the clean sheet.
"It was a great way to celebrate this senior class and an important win in terms of conference standings," said Raymond. "We're excited to get back out there again tomorrow."
The Ephs will complete their busy weekend tomorrow, hosting 11th-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with kickoff set for 12:30pm.
