HADLEY, MA — Williams College
senior Brianna Wolfson (Brookville, NY) has been chosen as the 2009
NESCAC Player of the Year, giving the Ephs their second such honor
in the past three years.
Wolfson was also a First Team All-NESCAC selection for the third
year in a row. She was joined on the First Team by juniors Sara
Wild and Kara Duggan, who earned their second and first spots
there, respectively.
Three other Ephs were named to the All-NESCAC Second Team: Senior
goalkeeper Lauren Sinnenberg, who garnered her third straight
all-conference honor, senior forward Sarah Walmsley and junior
forward Annelise Snyder.
In addition, Williams head coach Michelyne Pinard was chosen as
the NESCAC co-Coach of the Year along with Middlebury’s Peter
Kim. It was the third consecutive season Pinard has been awarded
the top honor in the conference.
Wolfson is a critical component to the success of the Ephs both
offensively and defensively. The Ephs have gone 61-5-4 in the 70
games during her career (.900 winning percentage) while putting
together three straight unbeaten regular seasons.
This season, Wolfson has compiled 16 points (4 goals, 8 assists)
through 17 games. For her career, she has 89 points, including 30
goals, 11 of which have been game-winners. She owns the career
assist record at Williams with a total of 29 to date.
“Brie is one of the most complete players the women's soccer
program has ever seen,” Pinard said. “She can do it
all...she's quick and dynamic athletically, technically savvy,
tactically sophisticated and competes with an intensity and fire
that we all only hope to match.
“Beyond that, and most people don't know this, she is
uncomfortable with getting awards like this because in her heart,
she truly believes that no one person is above any other on our
team. She has such respect for everyone and what everyone does to
contribute to our team success. -- combine her athletic ability and
her sense of team and you have one remarkable young woman, a
wonderful teammate and a rewarding student-athlete to
coach.”
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| Sara Wild '11 |
Wild, who along with Wolfson was also a First Team All-New
England selection in 2008, was one of only three Ephs (Duggan,
Jackie Russo) to start in all 17 games to date. She has 6 goals and
3 assists for 15 points this season.
“I sometimes think Sara Wild is super human,” Pinard
said. “Her ability to cover the whole field for 90 minutes at
a speed which very few can compete is beyond remarkable.”
Duggan, a Second Team All-NESCAC selection in 2008, has been the
anchor of a defensive unit which has allowed just seven goals in 17
games this season. In addition to being a stalwart on the defensive
end, she’s added goal-scoring to her resume, tallying three
times during the fall to date.
“Kara has been a rock in our back since she arrived her
first week,” Pinard said. “We depend on her for so many
things; she is our ball winner, our organizer and our problem
solver on the field. She is one of the most natural leaders on the
field I have ever coached.”
Walmsley and Snyder have formed the Williamstown version of a
“dynamic duo” this season, trading turns in setting one
another up for goals. They are both being honored for the first
time.
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| Kara Duggan '11 |
Walmsley is third on the team in points with 25 and first with
assists (13). That 13 sets a new single-season record for assists
at Williams. She is eighth in the nation in assists per game. Three
of her six goals have been game-winners.
“Day in and day out, Sarah is one of the hardest working
athletes I have ever coached,” Pinard said. “She leads
by example, and it is difficult not to be inspired by her work
ethic."
Snyder is tied for the team lead with 28 points and is second on
the squad with 11 goals. She also has two game-winning markers this
season.
“Iggy is a dynamic goal scorer,” Pinard said.
“Very few players have the combination of speed, tenacity,
ferociousness and talent that she possesses.”
Sinnenberg is making her third straight appearance as an
all-conference selection and last year added All-New England and
All-America honors to her resume. She has played in all 17 games to
date this season and has allowed six goals in nearly 909 minutes of
work. She has an .882 save percentage and a 0.59 goals against
average and has played a part in all 13 of the Ephs’
shutouts.
“Sinny is one of the best goalkeepers in Div. III,”
Pinard said. “Not only is she good technically and
athletically, but she is also a fierce competitor who hols herself
to an incredibly high standard.”
Pinard, in her eighth season, posted her 100th career win when
Williams defeated Middlebury 3-2 in the NESCAC championship game
Sunday.
Williams (17-0-0) will host first and second round action in the
NCAA Tournament this weekend. The Ephs will face Keuka College
Saturday at 11 a.m. At 1:30 p.m., Skidmore and Oneonta State will
play. The winners will play Sunday at 1 p.m.
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| Sarah Walmsley '10 | Annelise Snyder '11 | Lauren Sinnenberg '10 | Michelyne Pinard |
