No. 7 Ephs come up short, 2-1, at No. 5 Bates

LEWISTON, Maine - Senior captain Kiki Higgins of the No. 7-ranked Williams College field hockey team scored her team-leading seventh goal of the season Saturday during a 2-1 setback against No. 5 Bates on Campus Avenue Field.

"Once again, we dominated the game, but struggled to finish," said head coach Alix Barrale. "Bates was strong in goal and on defense. We had lots of opportunities and will continue to work at capitalizing on them."

Sophomore defender Ali Meyer made a tremendous play in the midfield area four minutes into the first quarter for Williams (6-3, 4-2 NESCAC), stealing the ball, and then leading senior defender Grace Rebak down the right attacking side. Rebak slammed a pass into the circle, but the Ephs were not able to get a tip on the ball. Senior captain Pilar Torres made an elite defensive statement midway through the opening quarter, as she made an aggressive move outside of the box and broke up a 3-on-2 opportunity for Bates (9-0, 5-0 NESCAC).

First-year Katie Sigrist made an outstanding steal and Torres followed up with an assertive clear in the Ephs' defensive circle midway through the second quarter, keeping the game scoreless. The Bobcats opened the scoring, as Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg buried a straight-on shot with a great deal of velocity into the left side of the net in the 23rd minute.

During the 38th minute, Ephs' sophomore goalkeeper Ellie Smith made a tremendous diving save on a shot by Elsa Copeland during a 1-on-1 situation deep in the circle. With 40 seconds remaining in the third, junior Laura Ryan was awarded a penalty corner, and then Torres played a ball into a scrum in front of the net. Higgins was able to locate the ball and score, while junior Keira Harder picked up her first collegiate assist on the sequence.

Rose Gordon scored the game-winning tally for the Bobcats off a penalty corner in the 52nd minute, as she took a shot that was blocked and then blasted the rebound into the right side of the net. Higgins led all student-athletes with a total of six shots and three on target, while Williams held an 11-7 advantage in penalty corners, an 18-9 lead in shots and a 7-4 upper hand in shots on goal.

The Ephs will compete against No. 17 Wesleyan on Saturday, Oct. 11, at noon on Williamson Field.