WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Senior captain Bria Abbiati of the 10th-ranked Williams College women's soccer team delivered in the clutch on Saturday morning, as the forward buried the game-winning goal with 8:29 remaining in the second half during a 1-0 season-opening NESCAC victory over Bates at Cole Field.

During the 82nd minute, first-year defender Lyyli Stern intercepted a Bobcats' clearing attempt just inside the midfield line. She then located Abbiati in the middle of the pitch, as the Newton, Massachusetts, native launched a shot from beyond the right side of the 18-yard box into the bottom left corner of the net. During the scoring sequence, Stern picked up her first collegiate assist.

Junior goalkeeper Chelsea Mohammed, who was making her debut for Williams, earned her first win and shutout for the Ephs (1-0-0, 1-0-0 NESCAC), stopping two shots. Sophomore goalie Brady Jacobson made seven saves for Bates (0-1-0, 0-1-0 NESCAC).

"It was a great win to start our season off, especially with it being straight into NESCAC play," said seventh-year head coach Sarah Raymond. "Getting three points is valuable. We created a lot of good chances, particularly in the first half and the team shape that we have been working on showed up, which allowed us to do that. We fell off a little in the second when we started to press for a goal rather than continuing to play and open them up, but once we started to do that again, we had some good chances in the last 10 minutes. I am proud of how relentless the team played and the belief that we would find a way to win the game."

The Ephs nearly scored in the 22nd minute, as sophomore defender Jackie Rainville played a cross into the box from the left attacking side. Junior midfielder Emmy Chung battled for possession with a pair of Bobcat defenders, and then turned around and fired a shot that connected with the crossbar.

Williams held a 24-4 advantage in shots and 9-2 lead in corner kicks. During the first half, the hosts outshot the visitors, 12-0, and earned seven corner kicks. Abbiati and sophomore forward and midfielder Maya Lloyd kept the pressure on the Bobcats' defense throughout the duration of the game, combining for nine total shots and four on target.

The Ephs will compete against conference-rival Hamilton Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. on Cole Field.