Williams Tops Middlebury 3-0 in Women's Soccer First Round
Courtesy Williams Sports Information
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williams College Ephs (12-3-1) avevenged a regular season defeat with a 3-0 victory over Middlebury (8-5-3) in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament. The Panthers beat Williams 2-1 in regular season play on Oct. 12, but the result of the rematch proved to be quite different.
"We are starting to develop a great rivalry with Middlebury," stated Williams Head Coach Michelyne Pinard. "Amherst is still our number one rival, but the past few times we have played Middlebury the games have been very intense and competitive. They are one of the best teams we have played all year, and it's great to be able to beat them in such a big game."
The Ephs, buoyed by the return of defender Colleen Doody '03, have yet to surrender a goal in the two games they have played since the star back's reappearance in the lineup. Williams goalkeeper Lindsay Starner '05, who now has seven shutouts on the year, collected 10 saves, as did Middlebury goalkeeper Els Van Woert.
"It's great to have Colleen back," stated Pinard. "She is definitely an impact player who commands respect from both her teammates and the opposing players, and anytime you have somebody like that in your lineup it's going to help."
Brittany Esty '05 put the Ephs on the board early, scoring off of a cross from Afton Johnson '05 just under four minutes into the contest. The two sides battled evenly from then on until late in the second half, when Claire Samuel '04 and Stacey Starner '03 put the game away with two goals in less than eight minutes.
Starner set up Samuel's score, penetrating the Panther defense before feeding Samuel in the top right corner of the penalty box. Samuel then blasted a one-time left footed shot over Van Woert and into the top left corner of the net.
With time winding down, Emily Driscoll '05 helped put the game out of reach, pushing the ball down the right sideline to set up the final score. Van Woert came out to challenge on the play, but Driscoll found Starner in the middle of the penalty box, and Starner booted the ball into the open net.
With the goal and assist, Starner raised her career point total to 101, making her the first player in the history of Williams College women's soccer to amass 100 points.
Williams will next travel to Medford, Mass., for the NESCAC semifinals on Saturday Nov. 9. Tournament host and top-seeded Tufts will face Connecticut College, which defeated Amherst 2-1 in the quarterfinals, while the Ephs will square off against second-seeded Bowdoin. Williams will try to avenge their 1-0 loss to the Polar Bears on Sept. 21.
"We played some our best soccer all year today, but it came in spurts," said Pinard. "I'm hoping that next week we can put everything together for 90 minutes."
