Courtesy Williams Sports Information

Box Score

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Williams overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit with three unanswered goals, two of which came in the games final five minutes, to down visiting Bates 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2008 NESCAC Men's Soccer Championship on Sunday. The win improves the Ephs to 8-5-2 (4-4-1 NESCAC) and earns them the right to play top-seeded Middlebury on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. in Middlebury, Vt.

Bates ends its season at 9-6 (4-6 NESCAC).

Facing the prospect of an early November season finale, the Ephs played possessed soccer as they dominated the early goings of the win-to-survive match up. The Bobcats found themselves reeling as the Ephs drove play towards their net and dominated possession, allowing them only brief excursions out of their end.

However the Bobcats were able to break out of their own end and score the game's first goal. A fortuitous long pass  managed to navigate the legs of the Eph defense and find a wide open Chris Okano who knocked it past Eph keeper Andrew Graham (one save) in the 13th minute.

Nevertheless, the Ephs nearly evened things up just before the half, when a perfectly placed cross from Alex Kramer found Jay Ingram in stride right in front of the Bobcats net, but an aggressive move by stellar Bates keeper Greg Watts (nine saves) pushed the shot wide.

The second half began much like the first half, as the Ephs once again took control. The redoubled efforts from the Ephs nearly broke the Bobcats several times in the second half’s first 15 minutes, but narrow misses maintained the Bates advantage. Will Whiston, Sam Empson, Pierre Meloty-Kapella and Peter Gordon all featured prominently in the second half push.

At one point the Ephs unloaded no less then four shots in twenty seconds, each of which appeared poised to go in, before Empson collected the ball and drew a hard tackle in the box earning the penalty kick. Empson fired a low shot to the corner that slipped past the outstretched hands of Watts and tied the contest up at 1-1 in the 67th minute.

Empson and Gordon connected for one of the season's most sensational goals at the biggest possible time to put Williams up 2-1. With just under five minutes remaining, Empson launched a bending pass into the heart of the Bates defense only to find a leaping Gordon who headed it over the top of Watts, giving the Ephs their first lead at 2-1.

Gordon wasn’t done yet, as he would be on the receiving end of a Meloty-Kapella cross less than two minutes later which he promptly converted to add some insurance and seal the 3-1 victory for the Ephs.

The Ephs churned out an astronomical 18 shots in the second half in their offensive outburst.