Ephs head to Greensboro for national semifinals
December 4, 2008
Ephs enjoy full day in preparation for national
semifinal
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The pomp may have taken precedence over
the circumstance just a bit here Thursday as the Williams College
women’s soccer team went through a myriad of experiences in
preparation for their Div. III national semifinal game with
defending national champion Wheaton Friday at 5 p.m.
Certainly one of the most memorable moments came in the afternoon
when three Ephs, first-year Sachi Siegelman, sophomore Sara Wild
and senior Lauren Garcia, traveled with coach Michelyne Pinard to
the Murphey Traditional School to spend an hour with 26 third to
fifth graders.
Upon arrival, the Murphey School group was waiting in the school
parking lot with welcoming signs and plenty of chants signing the
praises of the Ephs. Over the next hour, the Williams trio went
through a quick question and answer period with the children, and
then onto some games that included Red Light/Green Light, a modern
version of Duck, Duck, Goose, a relay race and some dribbling
exercises.
“I think we’re fortunate to represent Williams as an
institution and give back to a community other than our own,”
Garcia said. “It was only an hour of our day, and it meant so
much to them.”
The trip to the local school was part of the whole weekend
experience here for all eight semifinal teams, men and women. The
NCAA has tried to integrate the final four teams into the community
more each year since one neutral site was adopted for the national
championships five years ago.
The students at Murphey had been studying up on the Ephs for the
last week or more in preparation for the community service
event.
“I know the Division I level has been doing this for awhile
and our kids do a lot of volunteer stuff (around the Williamstown
area), so it’s only appropriate that the NCAA incorporates it
into an event of this stature at the Div. III level,” Pinard
said. “It was adorable.”
The event concluded with Wild and Garcia demonstrating some of
their more skillful moves on the pitch, much to the
children’s delight. When it was time to go, it was hugs all
around for Wild, Garcia and Siegelmen.
“It’s always fun to play with kids younger than you,
they just go for it,” Wild said. “The greeting was a
little shocking, with the chanting and all the signs, it was
fun.”
Once early evening rolled around the entire Ephs team gathered in
the lobby of the Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons for a formal
team picture on a winding staircase. All eight of the semifinal
team had a formal team picture taken.
Shortly after that if was off to the 2008 Soccer Championships
“Celebration Banquet”, where all eight teams gathered
for dinner and each had a representative speak to the crowd, giving
out insights about the towns/communities there respective schools
are situated, as well as a perspective on their own seasons --
Williams senior co-captain Clare Gallagher did the honors for the
Ephs.
Of course, the Ephs are here on business, and they did practice
for an hour earlier in the day on a practice field just outside of
Macpherson Stadium at Bryan Park, where their semifinal game
against the Thunder will be tomorrow.
Friday’s full schedule:
Men's Semifinals: 11:00 a.m. Messiah College vs. Loras College;
1:30 p.m., Stevens Institute of Technology vs. Amherst College
Women's Semifinals: 5 p.m., Williams College vs. Wheaton College;
7:30 p.m., Messiah College vs. William Smith College
Ephs land in Greensboro for final four
December 3, 2008
GREENSBORO, NC -- Flying high at 36,000 feet, it’s hard to
retain ones sense of normalcy.
But for the Williams College women’s soccer team, it’s
what they were doing Wednesday night – and really, for the
past 10 days, ever since a 2-0 victory over Ithaca in a NCAA
Tournament sectional final put the Ephs on a path to the Div. III
final four.
“It’s been anything but normal,” senior captain
Caitlin Colesanti said. “But yet we’ve been able to
maintain a sense of normalcy by keeping the same practice schedule
and taking it day by day, practice by practice.”
The Ephs touched down in Greensboro Wednesday night after a day of
classes, a bus ride to Albany, N.Y. and a quick one and a half hour
plane ride. Colesanti passed the time with a crossword puzzle,
while Ephs head coach Michelyne Pinard caught a few moments of calm
by reading a book.
After a few games of fun on the bus ride to the hotel –
“guess the roommate” being the prohibitive favorite --
and a brief team meeting, the Ephs went back to hitting the books,
or taking a few moments to relax.
Williams (19-0-1), ranked No. 1 in the country, faces Wheaton
(Ill.) – the defending national champions – in one
national semifinal Friday at 5 p.m. at Macpherson Stadium at Bryan
Park.
Playing soccer in December is not normal, nor really is playing on
a national stage. Not for these Ephs. So Pinard has tried to make
it seem as normal as possible for her team.
“I like to think of our team as a team that is really rather
simple,” she said. “We show up, we compete, we enjoy it
-- and we go home. Following the Ithaca game we were physically and
emotionally exhausted, so the time off has been a blessing. It
allowed is to rejuvenate ourselves individually in every facet of
our lives. We came back Sunday in a really good place.”
Thursday, the Ephs will take to the practice field for the first
time at the Bryan Park Soccer Complex (11 a.m.). At 2:30 p.m., a
group of four Ephs will participate in some community service type
event at a local elementary school, and at 6:30, the NCAA hosts a
banquet with all eight teams – the men’s final four is
here as well – attending.
Asked what she told her her team prior to leaving for the final
four, Pinard has another simple answer: nothing.
“We put it on our schedule like we usually do and
we’ve tried to treat it like any other game,” she said.
“Partly because we want them to maintain a sense of normalcy
and partly because this team has had a clear mission from the start
of the season, and nothing had to be said.”
Williams may be the team with the least national pedigree here
– Wheaton has won three of the past four national titles,
Messiah, which faces William Smith in the other national semifinal,
has the other in that span and the Herons have 19 NCAA Tournament
appearances and one national title to their credit.
But as loose as the Ephs are, they are equal parts motivated and
focused.
“Everyone is excited, it’s almost surreal,”
senior Gabby Woodson said. “But I think if we play like
we’re capable of playing and have been playing, we’ll
be fine.”
Two characteristics that set this Ephs team apart from others
– and there isn’t too much difference in the last two
teams as the Ephs are 36-1-1 over their last 38 games – is
its chemistry combined with its competitive nature.
On Tuesday, the Ephs held their final practice at their
“second home,” Cole Field. Amidst the hard-driving,
competitive training, there was plenty of smiling and laughing
going on.
“They will literally compete in anything,” Pinard
said. “A game of tag, a crossword puzzle, you name it. They
want to win. We were in a drill called “four goal” and
they were beating each other up out there, but they were also
smiling and laughing in appropriate ways. The fact that they can
compete against each other like that and then walk off the field
and let it all go … we’re a really healthy team that
way.”
Another motivating factor has been losing its last game on Cole
Field the last three years, be it in the round of 16 of the NCAA
Tournament, or the first round on the conference championship.
“I think we learned you can’t take anything for
granted,” Colesanti said. “Any game, any practice, you
have after the regular season is a gift and you need to treat it as
such.”
December 3, 2008
The City of Greensboro, North Carolina
and Greensboro College are hosting the NCAA Division III Men's and
Women's Soccer Championships the first weekend in December with the
men's games preceding the women's contests each day.
NCAA Division III National Semifinals &
Finals
December 5-6, 2008
Macpherson
Stadium at Bryan Park
Greensboro, North Carolina
Host: Greensboro College
Hosted by Greensboro College and the City of Greensboro
December 5
5:00 PM – Williams (19-0-1) vs. Wheaton (IL) (21-3-2)
7:30 PM – William Smith (16-1-5) vs. Messiah (22-0-2)
December 6
5:00 PM -- Friday's winners meet for NCAA title
Daily Ticket Prices: (available at venue on game days only): $15
general admission; $10 senior citizens/students/military (all with
proper identification; $5 ages 3-12; Children age 2 and under are
free. Note: Admission fees cover each day.
Link
to NCAA video webcast of Ephs vs. Wheaton – make
sure you have downloaded Silverlight.2.0(2).dmg ahead of time
Through the efforts of Will Slack '11 the Friday game may be seen on the large screen in the Great Hall of the Paresky Student Center Friday, December 5th at 5:00 PM.
|
| Gabby Woodson '09 |
Three of the four teams remaining in
the NCAA Division III women's soccer championship are from the
northeast quadrant of the nation – Williams, William Smith
and Messiah. The fourth team in the national semifinals is Wheaton
College (IL), which won the 2007 NCAA title and has won three of
the last four titles.
The lone title to escape the Thunder in the last four years (2005)
was captured by Messiah College.
Wheaton (IL) (21-3-2/5-2 CCIW Champions) capped a
perfect 2007 season (27-0-0) with a 1-0 win over Messiah to claim
the NCAA title. The 27 wins by the Thunder is an NCAA Division III
record.
Wheaton head coach Pete Felske is in his 21st season at Wheaton
and guided the Thunder to the NCAA title in 2004, 2006 and 2007. He
is 325-86-20 (.835) entering Friday's contest versus the Ephs. His
is a 1988 graduate of Wheaton and played on the Thunder men's team
that won the 1984 NCAA title.
Wheaton has appeared in 12 NCAA Tournaments and has an overall
record of 31-7-3.
How the Thunder advanced to the national semifinals:
1st Round: defeated Carroll (WI) 3-0
2nd Round: 0-0 tie with Wisc. Eau Claire (Wheaton advanced
via a 3-1 PK shootout win)
Sectional Semifinal: defeated Washington Univ. (MO) 3-0
Sectional Final: defeated Carleton 2-1
Wheaton has outscored its opponents 103-21 on the year with junior
forward Taryne Lee providing much of the fireworks. Lee has netted
29 goals and assisted on 12 for 70 points. First year forward Ali
Kopelman has scored 14 goals and also has assisted on a dozen,
while senior midfielder Kari Klynstra has contributed 10 goals and
has six assists.
Wheaton also holds a decisive advantage over its opponents in
corner kicks, 198-64. Sophomore goalie Ingrid Erickson has appeared
in 24 games and played 1,786 minutes. Erickson has allowed 15
goals, posted a goals against average of 0.76. She has made 42
saves for a .737 save percentage and has recorded four
shutouts.
Williams (19-0-1/8-0-1 NESCAC Champions) has set a school
record for wins in a season and captured a second consecutive
NESCAC title (a conference first). Head coach Michelyne Pinard's
Ephs are now 36-1-1 in their last 38 contests.
Pinard is in her seventh season at the helm of the Ephs and has
posted a record of 83-22-15 (.754) heading into Wheaton contest.
Pinard, a 1998 graduate of Dartmouth, was an assistant coach at
Middlebury and Penn before arriving at Williams.
Small world department: Aliceann Wilber, the head coach of William
Smith, was Michelyne Pinard's Under 14 Olympic Development Program
coach.
The Ephs are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA tourney and
sport an overall record of 10-8-4. This is the second time the Ephs
have advanced to the national semifinals, having hosted in 1999
when they finished third.
Keying the Eph attack are senior forward Gabby Woodson (14g, 8a),
junior forward Brianna Wolfson (11g, 9a) and sophomore midfielder
Sara Wild (9g, 4a).
Junior keeper Lauren Sinnenberg has posted a 0.47 goals against
average in 1,533 of play. Sinnenberg has allowed eight goals this
fall and has recorded 50 saves in compiling a save percentage of
.862. She is 16-0-1 on the year and has nine shutouts.
Williams has out scored the opposition 55-10 this season and has
the advantage in corner kicks 98 to 48.
Williams was one of three seeded teams in the Division III
tournament and received a first round bye.
How the Ephs advanced to the national semifinals:
2nd Round: defeated Husson 3-0
Sectional Semifinals: defeated TCNJ 2-1
Sectional Finals: defeated Ithaca 2-0
William Smith (16-1-5/6-0-1 Liberty Champions)
head coach Aliceann Wilber is the only coach the Herons have ever
had. Now in her 29th season Wilber has posted a record of
389-114-45 (.751) entering the national semifinals and she led the
Herons to the 1998 NCAA title. Wilber is the first woman to receive
the NSCAA’s prestigious Bill Jeffrey Award (2003) for
outstanding achievement and longtime dedication to college
soccer.
William Smith is playing in its 19th NCAA Tournament and the
Herons have compiled a record of 28-15-2. The Herons finished
second in 1987 and 1997.
Sophomore forward Brelynn Nasypany is the Herons' top goal scorer
with 15. Nasypany also has five assists to top the team with 35
points. First year forward Kate Redmond has scored five goals and
assisted on three, while junior midfielder Katelyn Tyson has four
goals and two assists.
First year goalie Amanda Davis has played in 19 games (1,595
minutes) and has allowed five goals. Her goals against average is
0.28 and she has notched 58 saves for a .921 save percentage. Davis
is 10-0-5 and has nine shutouts this season.
William Smith has out scored the opposition by a margin of 38 to
10 and they have a corner kick advantage of 136-62.
How the Herons advanced to the national semifinals:
1st Round: defeated Keuka 2-0
2nd Round: 1-1 tie with Endicott (Herons win PK
shootout 4-3)
Sectional Semifinals: defeated Johns Hopkins, 3-1
Sectional Finals: defeated Amherst, 1-0 (2OT)
Messiah (22-0-2/6-0-0 MAC Commonwealth Champions) head
coach Scott Frey is in his ninth year at Messiah and has directed
the Falcons to a record of 178-12-10 (.915) entering Friday's
contest vs. William Smith. Frey's Falcons won the 2005 NCAA title
and lost in the championship tilt last fall to Wheaton (IL).
Frey, a 1984 graduate of Messiah, was an assistant men's coach at
Messiah and head men's coach at Alma (MI) before returning to
Messiah to direct the women's program.
Messiah is playing in its ninth NCAA Tournament and the Falcons
have fashioned a record of 22-6-4.
The Falcons' junior midfielder Amanda Naeher has had an impressive
season to date scoring 32 goals and assisting on six for a total of
70 points. Naeher's goal total is just six shy of William Smith's
team total of 38.
Adding even more firepower up front for Messiah is sophomore
forward Erin Hench and senior forward Rachel Horning. Hench has
scored 19 times and she has assisted on 15 goals, while Horning has
tallied seven goals and has contributed 14 assists.
Senior goalie Brindley Beckwith has played in 24 games this season
and has logged 2,019 minutes. Beckwith has allowed just nine goals
and has made 36 saves. Her goals against average is 0.40 and her
save percentage is .800. Beckwith has a record of 20-0-2 and has
eight shutouts.
The Falcons have scored 111 goals on the year and have allowed 9
and they have a decisive advantage in corner kicks, 191 to 29.
Messiah was one of three seeded teams in the Division III
tournament and received a first round bye.
How the Falcons advanced to the national semifinals:
2nd Round: defeated Washington & Jefferson 6-0
Sectional Semifinals: defeated Univ. Chicago 4-1
Sectional Finals: defeated Eastern 2-0
November 23, 2008
Williams 2, Ithaca 0: Ephs head to Final Four
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – North Carolina, get ready — the Ephs are coming. Playing their most complete 90 minutes of soccer when it mattered most, Williams (19-0-1) advanced to the Final Four over Ithaca College (17-3-2) by a 2-0 score in their final showdown of the season on Cole Field.
“Our goal was to leave Cole [Field] happy,” said Ephs keeper Lauren Sinnenberg. “It is a special place for our team, where we can sort of escape everything else. The last two years we’ve ended our seasons losing on our home field, and this was our last chance to leave happy, and we were playing for our seniors out there.”
This was a special day for the four Williams seniors, who have had their sights on the Final Four since Day 1 of their collegiate careers.
“We are so excited,” said Williams defensive back, Caitlin Colesanti. “We worked so hard to make it this far, and we were just so ready. We’ve been preparing for this, and with only two games left, it’s all we wanted. We’re so pumped to play Wheaton.”
The Ephs will take on Wheaton College (21-3-2) in the national semifinals on December 5th in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Thunder has reached the Final Four five times in program history, and has won the Div. III National Championship three of the last four years, including last season.
Willams advanced to today’s Elite 8 contest after a first-round bye, a 3-0 defeat of Husson College, and yesterday’s come from behind 2-1 victory against The College of New Jersey. The Bombers recorded a first round shutout of Westfield State, 6-0, and then blanked Roger Williams University 2-0 to advance to the Sectionals. The Bombers have won their last five contes ts via a shutout, but couldn’t muster any offense against the always-tight Williams defense.
Sarah Wamsley and Gabrielle Woodson’s chemistry on the field continued in today’s contest. Teaming up for two goals yesterday against TCNJ, the two Eph forwards connected once more for the first score against Ithaca. With 12:49 remaining in the half, Walmsley fed the ball from the center to Woodson on the wing. Woodson ripped off a shot from the outside that fell just underneath the crossbar and into net.
It was not the only look for Williams in the first half, and the Ephs could have easily led by as many as three or four goals. Nearly ten minutes into the game, Woodson found herself one on one against the goalie. Thunder keeper Alyssa Stomayer deflected the ball. Sara Wild collected the loose ball and had a chance at the open net, but her shot sailed wide.
The wind played a huge factor in today’s contest. When either team had the wind at their backs, their shot total skyrocketed. In the first half, Williams played with the wind and knocked off 11 shots, while in the second half, Ithaca had 15 shots and many looks at net.
“They [Williams] had a ton of chances in the first half, and we had a ton of chances in the second half,” said Ithaca head coach Mindy Quigg. “We felt good leaving the first half only behind 1-0, and we felt good in the second half too but they exposed the one mistake we made.”
In a game that saw 32 combined called fouls, one foul just outside the goal box provided the perfect opportunity for the Ephs to pad their lead with an insurance goal. Jacqueline Russo took the free kick, and attempted to lob the ball to the far left side where a charging Ephs attack would look to score. Brianna Wolfson corralled the lob, but had no room to score, and passed to Wild who found the back left corner for the 2-0 lead.
Sinnenberg recorded five saves in the second half, but most of Ithaca’s shots on goal were aimed right at the keeper.
“We [Williams] went more conservative in the second half to hold onto the lead,” commented Sinnenberg. “It allowed them to dribble at our midfield and so they got a lot of shots on, but most of them came right at me and were everyday saves that I could handle. Our defense always has two or three girls on them at all times, so they were just trying to get the ball at the net whenever they could.”
“The only thing we had to do was finish our chances, and we couldn’t,” continued Quigg. “We never moved the goalie, and instead hit it to her every single time.”
The Ephs will practice Monday and Tuesday, take a three-day break for Thanksgiving, and then resume practice on Sunday.
November 22, 2008
Ithaca downs Lynchburg 2-0 to advance to Elite 8 game 11/23 at 1:00 pm vs. Williams
Photo
Gallery
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Ithaca College (17-2-2)
scored two goals in the second half to lead the Bombers past the
Lynchburg College (21-1-3) women’s soccer team 2-0 in the
Sweet 16 round of the 2008 NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament,
hosted by Williams College.
The loss was the first one of the season for the Hornets of
Lynchburg and it was the sixth consecutive shutout recorded by
Ithac
On a snowy and cold afternoon, the Ithaca Bombers adapted well to
the conditions that featured biting cold and a mostly frozen
playing surface on Cole Field.
In the first half, Lynchburg fought off a few scoring
opportunities thanks to solid defensive play. Midway throughout the
first half, Ithaca played a through ball to Winnie Adrien, who was
stoned on a one-one-one by LC keeper Jackie Bader (Fort Washington,
MD/Bishop Ireton).
Later on in the first stanza, the Bombers again had a scoring
chance when a loose ball was run onto by Adrien, and a hard blast
was again knocked off the line by Bader. "We had a lot of early
opportunities with the wind in the first half and I was hoping we
would come out of it with a 1-0 lead," said Ithaca head coach Mindy
Quigg. "I felt good that we were creating the opportunities, but I
was not on the field so I could not be sure how it was impacting
play.
As it turned out the Bombers did not need the help of the wind to
score or to mount consistent forays into the LC defensive
third.
After the half, Ithaca broke through as a shot from Liz Masucci
from twenty yards out was deflected by Bader up off the crossbar
and over the goal line for the eventual game-winner. The Bombers
got an insurance goal with just over eight minutes to go when
Lauren Koppel received a headed ball from Chelsey Feldman and fired
a shot from 15 yards out for the insurance goal.
"It came down to footing in the second half," noted Lynchburg head
coach Todd Olsen. "Ithaca is bigger and stronger than us and they
seemed to adapt to the conditions better than we did. We're more
technical and it ultimately affected how we did things. We lost to
a very good team."
The conditions affected both teams. "We play together well," said
Ithaca's Chelsey Feldman. "And when we're on the field we
play as one. Whatever we're going to go through we're going to go
hard and we're going to work at doing what we do."
Jackie Bader of Lynchburg made nine saves on the day and allowed
two goals, while the Bombers' Alyssa Sotomayor was credited with
four saves in the shutout.
The Bombers move on to take on Williams College (MA) in the Elite
Eight, as the Ephs knocked of The College of New Jersey 2-1 in the
first game of the afternoon.
November 22, 2008
Ephs overcome wind and snow to down TCNJ 2-1 to advance to elite 8 tomorrow
WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. – The mantra "practice makes perfect" proved less than accurate today, as neither Williams (18-0-1) nor The College of New Jersey (14-7-1) could possibly have prepared for the pesky weather conditions in this afternoon’s NCAA third-round contest.
Slick field conditions made possession difficult from the get-go, while flurries late in the first half developed to a full-blown snowfall and a relentless wind for the remainder of play. The Ephs handled the unpredictable elements well, advancing to the Elite 8 upon defeating the Lions in a come from behind victory, 2-1.
“We have always talked abo ut not paying attention to the things you can’t control,” said Williams’ hea d coach Michelyne Pinard. “Things were hard to do under the circumstances, but I was proud that we still executed even under the tough weather conditions.”
The win marks the eighteenth of the season for Williams, surpassing last year’s program record of seventeen wins. The squad advanced to today's game after being awarded a first round bye in the tournament, and defeating Husson College, 3-0, in the second round last weekend. Williams is now in the fourth round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999.
TCNJ dominated on their journey to the Sweet 16, dealing Morovian College and Western Connecticut shutouts in the first and second rounds. Their team of now is a far cry from earlier this season, as the Lions have lost eight starters to injury.
"I'm s o proud of these kids it's not even funny," said TCNJ coach Joe Russo. "We've had a slew of injuries. I give all the credit to Williams; I thought they played well. We played Amherst at full strength early on, the score was 5-1. And then we just lost a bunch of people. We're a shell of what we should be, but I don't want that to be the focus. To get this far without eight starters, I'm ecstatic. The kids who have stepped on have done very, very well."
The Ephs have achieved some peace of mind as well, advancing past the Sweet 16 roadblock of last year that saw Hamilton defeat the Ephs on Cole Field, 2-1, ending their bid for a national championship and an undefeated season.
“This team has been hungry all year, but particularly for this day,” continued Pinard. “To go beyond what we accomplished last year means a great deal to our seniors and our program.”
“It was a big motivator for us,” said Ephs forward Sarah Walmsley, referencing last season’s early exit. “It is one of those games we wish we had back, and the feelings of last year fueled our play today.”
Neither team scored in the first half, although both teams had ample chances to take the lead.
Just two minutes into play, the Lions’ Jamie Kunkel let off a shot after a corner kick that just nicked the left crossbar. The Ephs were slightly off their game in the opening minutes, but found their stride soon enough. Ten minutes later, on the opposite end of the field, Gabrielle Woodson’s shot took the same course as Kunkel’s, finding the far left post.
Williams was presented with a golden opportunity, after TCNJ fouled an Eph inside the penalty box midway into the first half. Pinard chose defensive back, Lizzie Danhakl, to take the kick. Danhakl placed the ball well, but TCNJ’s goalkeeper Jessica Clarke read the ball's path, and made a tremendous save to keep the score even.
“Lizzie is our best PK kicker day in and day out in practice,” said Pinard. “I did not hesitate in making that decision, it was a no-brainer. Their goalkeeper is phenomenal though. I was really pleased that it did not shake us. Ten minutes later I had forgotten about it, and so did the rest of the team.”
The Ephs pressed on in the first half, shrugging off their missed opportunity. Although both teams played a solid first frame, Williams controlled the ball for most of the latter period of the half, out shooting the Lions, 12-6.
TCNJ picked up their play heading out of halftime, while Williams stumbled out of the gate in the early minutes. The Ephs were forced to play from behind for only the sixth time this season after Kunkel scored just five minutes into the second half.
After a defensive misstep, the Ephs had to play catch up and retreat downfield to defend a Lions charge towards goal. Coleen Weber collected the ball, dribbled past the midline undefended, and fed Kunkel a lob pass outside the goal box. A rushed Ephs defense saw Kunkel rip a ball to the top left corner, out of reach for the Ephs keeper, Lauren Sinnenberg.
What do you tell the number one-ranked Division III team in the nation after falling behind?
“I don’t tell them anything,” said Pinard. “We believe in our system. TCNJ is a second half team, and they showed us that today. They played more directly, and going against the wind was tough for us.”
Believe in their system they did as the Ephs did not falter, but instead rose to the occasion. At 63:40, Woodson played a cross that was recovered by Walmsley in the penalty box. She did not immediately act on her open look, and Walmsley took ample time before taking the shot that sailed into net to tie the score, 1-1.
“I wanted to get a good shot off and place it,” commented Walmsley. “There are not a lot of chances out there, and I had to stay composed, because it was easy to slip out there.”
Woodson and Walmsley teamed up again at the 78:44 mark, reversing roles this time. Walmsley played the cross while Woodson waited on the wide open far post to recover and score on the empty net for the 2-1 advantage. The two late goals provided an energy boost to the squad, and the Ephs held on for the victory.
Clarke finished the game with seven saves, while Sinnenberg recorded four on the afternoon.
The Ephs, serving as the sectional host, await the winner of the Ithaca College and Lynchburg match up for tomorrow’s Elite 8 contest. Game time is set for 1:00.
November 17, 2008
With a 3-0 win over Husson College in round two the Williams
women's soccer team (17-0-1) has advanced to the Sectionals of the
NCAA Tournament and will host play on Cole Field Saturday and
Sunday, November 22 and 23.
Joining the Ephs will be The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), Ithaca
College and Lynchburg College.
Saturday Williams and TCNJ will meet at 11:00 AM and Ithaca and
Lynchburg will play at 1:30 PM. Saturday's winners will advance to
the Sectional Finals on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
All three tournament games will be carried on TEAMLINE
audio at no charge. Coverage begins about five minutes before
kickoff of each contest.
Ticket
Prices:
Adults: $6
Students and senior citizens: $3
Children under 12: $2
Score and defend is a recipe for success in soccer and all four
teams competing on Cole Field this weekend embody that mantra.
TCNJ received an at-large bid to the tourney
after finishing second in the NJAC tourney. The Lions of TCNJ
(14-6-1/6-2-1 NJAC) advanced to the Sectionals with a pair of
shutouts in the first two rounds. TCNJ downed Moravian 1-0 and then
defeated western Connecticut 3-0.
TCNJ head coach Joe Russo is in his 19th year and amassed a
sensational record of 350-38-24 (.879) heading into the tilt with
Williams. Russo guided the Lions to the 1993, 1994 and 2000 NCAA
titles.
TCNJ has the second most tournament appearances in Division III
history with 18, just one shy of Ithaca's 19. In NCAA Tournament
play the Lions have rung up a record of 44-14-3 (.746).
Leading the TCNJ attack is the senior trio of forward Jamie Kunkel
(10g, 9a); midfielder Erin Cunliffe (10g, 2a); and back Laura
Delaney (8g, 1a).
Junior Jessica Clarke will be in goal for TCNJ where she has
posted a goals against average of 0.70 in 1665:36 of play. Clarke
has allowed 13 goals, made 46 saves for a save percentage of .780
and she has recorded eight shutouts.
On the year TCNJ has out scored the opposition 60 to 13 and they
have generated a sizeable advantage in corner kicks, 139 to 45.
The Lions and the Ephs have played two common opponents this
season with TCNJ defeating Amherst 4-1 in Amherst's first game of
the season and the Lions' third game, while the Ephs tied at
Amherst 1-1, before downing their archrivals 3-2 in OT to claim a
second straight NESCAC title. Williams also defeated Western
Connecticut this season, previaling on the road 2-0.
Williams (17-0-1/8-0-1 NESCAC) received a first
round bye in this year's tournament when they were named one of the
three seeded teams in the field. The Ephs defeated Husson College
in a second round game on Sunday 3-0 to advance to the
Sectionals.
Eph head coach Michelyne Pinard is in her seventh season at the
helm of the Ephs and has posted a record of 81-22-15 (.751) heading
into TCNJ contest. Pinard guided the Ephs to a second straight
NESCAC title this season, a conference first, and captured the
NESCAC's automatic berth in the tournament.
The Ephs are making their 10th appearance in the NCAA tourney and
sport an overall record of 8-8-4.
Keying the Eph attack are senior forward Gabby Woodson (12g, 7a),
junior forward Brianna Wolfson (11g, 8a) and sophomore midfielder
Sara Wild (8g, 4a).
Junior keeper Lauren Sinnenberg has posted a 0.47 goals against
average in 1352:49 of play. Sinnenberg has allowed seven goals this
fall and has record 40 saves in compiling a save percentage of
.851. She is 14-0-1 on the year and has eight shutouts.
Williams has out scored the opposition 51-9 this season and has
the advantage in corner kicks 93 to 38.
Ithaca (16-2-2/7-1-0 Empire 8) earned a spot in
the NCAA tourney when they captured the automatic bid awarded to
the Empire 8 champion. The Bombers recorded a first round shutout
of Westfield State (6-0) and then blanked Roger Williams University
2-0 to advance to the Sectionals. The Bombers have won their last
five contests via a shutout.
With their appearance this season in the NCAA Tournament the
Bombers have extended their Division III record of most tourney
appearances to 19. Ithaca is 26-13-4 (.651) in NCAA tourney play
and the Bombers won the 1990 and 1991 NCAA titles.
Ithaca head coach Mindy Quigg in 15 years of leading the Bombers
sports an overall mark of 198-65-36 (.722).
The attack for the Bombers runs through junior forward Winnie
Adrien (18g, 6a), senior forward Chelsey Feldman (18g, 3a) and
junior midfielder Amy Scheffer (12g, 9a).
Sophomore Alyssa Sotomayor is the keeper for the Bombers and she
has posted 10 shutouts on the year. In 1633.13 in the net Sotomayor
has allowed nine goals and has recorded 67 saves for a save
percentage of .882.
The Bombers have out scored their opponents 70 to 9 this season
and they have had 159 corner kicks to the opposition's 50.
Lynchburg (21-0-3/9-0-2 ODAC) entered the NCAA
tourney on an automatic bid awarded to the champion of the Old
Dominion Athletic Conference. The Hornets advanced to the
Sectionals on the strength of two shutouts. Lynchburg dispatched
Maryville 3-0 and edged Emory 1-0 in the first two rounds of the
tournament.
Lynchburg head coach Todd Olsen is in his 15th year at Lynchburg
where he has fashioned a record of 230-60-25 (.770). The Hornets
are making their ninth NCAA tourney appearance and they own a
record of 11-8-1.
The Hornet attack has generated 102 goals on the year and three
players have netted at least 18 goals. Sophomore forward Betsy
Kwiatkowski has 18 goals and 18 assists, while classmate Katie
Santos, also a forward, has a team-high 24 tallies and two assists.
Freshman back Ashley Hoath has scored 18 goals, while assisting on
three.
Lynchburg has out scored their opponents this season by an
impressive 102 to 9. The Hornets' edge in corner kicks is also
impressive as they have had 152 corners and given up just 43.
The Hornets have used two goalies on the year, but over the last
five games they have ridden with sophomore Jacke Bader who has
played 802:32 minutes and surrendered five goals. Her goals against
average is 0.56 and her save percentage is .844. She has posted
three shutouts this season.
