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 Siegelmen, 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 singing 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 teams 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
