Williams Wins 11-8 in a Gritty Game Against Hamilton

WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS. -- No. 23 Williams women's lacrosse defeated the Hamilton Continentals 11-8 at home on Wednesday evening. The Ephs took control of the game early but had to work hard to keep their advantage in a physical game against a persistent Hamilton team. With the win, Williams improves to 6-5 and 3-4 in the NESCAC, while the loss drops Hamilton to 3-7 and 1-7 in the NESCAC.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Hamilton struck first, as Eugenia Kaltsas finished a goal with 13:14 to play in the first quarter.

• Williams quickly responded. Franny Donohue received a pass, drove towards the middle and flicked the ball crisply into the top corner with 11:27 remaining in the quarter.

• After over six scoreless minutes, the Ephs looked to take the lead, but Claudia Russell missed wide on a nice move inside. On the very next play Russell made a similar cut, but this time she found Anna Miller in the middle, who deposited a point-blank goal to give Williams a 2-1 lead with 4:58 to go in the first quarter.

• A few minutes later, Katy McCullough forced a foul. On the free-position attempt, she passed it to Juliet Kilborn and cut inside. Kilborn then found her on the give-and-go, and McCullough converted the finish to put the Ephs ahead 3-1 with 1:58 to play in the quarter.

• Donohue received a yellow card with just 46 seconds left in the quarter, and the Continentals took advantage. Alex Orlando maneuvered her way inside and finished into the lower right to cut the score to 3-2 with just 22 seconds left.

• Williams immediately opened the second quarter scoring, as Russell hit a streaking Kilborn in the middle, and Kilborn fired a one-timer into the lower left with 14:03 to go in the half.

• After some back-and-forth action, Williams capitalized on a woman-up advantage. Cece Tauber sprinted around the goal from behind and netted a wraparound goal into the roof of the net, putting the Ephs ahead 5-2 with 9:37 left in the second quarter.

• Russell bounced in a free-position shot to build the lead to 6-2 with 4:54 to go in the half, and strong defense by both teams and some close misses meant that the 6-2 scoreline held into halftime.

• Russell opened the scoring just under three minutes into the second half, netting another free-position shot on the right side, this one bounced perfectly into the bottom left corner, to make it 7-2.

• Another lengthy scoring drought was broken by the Ephs when Ainsley Abel corralled a bouncing pass through the middle that was not intended for her, and deposited the ball into the left netting with 5:19 to go in the third.

• Hamilton got one back quickly after Abel's goal, when Marin Ciardiello whipped a pass inside to Orlando, who spun and finished in the lower left to make the score 8-3 with 4:08 to go in the quarter.

• The Continentals built some momentum with another goal a few minutes later. Avery Trach made a lengthy run and forced a foul inside, converting her ensuing free-position attempt into the bottom right to cut the score to 8-4 with 1:21 to play.

• Williams snatched the momentum back to end the third, as McKenna Dwyer found McCullough inside, and McCullough netted a quick shot up high to push the lead to 9-4 with 28 seconds to play, where it would remain to begin the fourth quarter.

• Hamilton cut a bit into the lead early in the fourth quarter. First, Maddigan Leifer forced a foul on a shot then converted a free-position attempt, bouncing a slow shot in to make it 9-5 with 10:19 to play. Then, Sarah Creamer made a series of nice moves and finished with a sidearm shot angle to make the score 9-6 with 8:44 left in the game.

• Just nine seconds after Hamilton's goal, the Ephs' Grace Collier, who had made standout defensive plays all game, contributed an offensive spark. She won the draw control and raced up the field, finding enough space on her sprint to fire home a goal with 8:35 to go and erase Hamilton's momentum.

• Abel quickly boosted the Williams lead, driving right and eluding multiple defenders to fire a shot into the top right corner, making the score 11-6 with 7:58 to play and prompting a Hamilton timeout.

• After the timeout, the Continentals struck back. Leifer found Aine Cleary inside and Cleary deposited a shot into the bottom left to cut the lead back to 11-7 with 7:01 to play.

• The Ephs' defense tightened up following Cleary's goal, forcing Hamilton into four and a half scoreless minutes during a critical juncture in the game. The Continentals were finally able to reduce the gap further with 2:29 remaining, when Kaltsas converted her free-position attempt into the upper left corner to make it 11-8.

• Kaltsas's goal was the final one of the game. Williams held strong in the final few minutes, thanks to good offensive control and a few timely defensive plays, giving the team an 11-8 win.

NOTES

• At halftime, the Ephs had out shot the Continentals 24-5. Claudia Russell had six shots of her own in the first half, outdoing Hamilton by herself. 

• By the game's conclusion, Williams had taken 37 shots in comparison to Hamilton's 21.

• Hamilton racked up the penalties, finishing with 18 minutes of penalty time during the game. Williams was able to take advantage, scoring three goals during these penalties.

• The win is the Ephs' fifth of the season by three goals or more. In contrast, four of their five losses have been by three goals or less.

• Russell led the team in points with four, and tied for the team lead in goals with McCullough and Abel.

• Caroline Pratt made nine saves for Williams.

The Ephs next face off against the Bowdoin Polar Bears at noon on Saturday. The game will take place at Bowdoin. The Bears lost 8-5 against No. 3 Colby in their most recent game.