Teams: Women's Soccer: Schedule & Results

JUMBOS LOSE NESCAC SEMI-FINAL MATCH AT WILLIAMS, 4-2

COLLEGE WOMEN'S SOCCER FINAL SCORE
NESCAC Tournament Semi-final
Williams 4, Tufts 2

At Williamstown, MA
Saturday, November 7, 2009

Game Box Score

Sarah Nolet pulled Tufts within 3-2 with her goal early in the second half

WILLIAMSTOWN -- Playing in unseasonably sunny and relatively warm conditions for November soccer on Cole Field, the Williams College women's soccer team mounted a 3-0 lead in the first 25 minutes of play and went on to post a 4-2 victory to advance to the NESCAC Tournament finals for the third consecutive season.

Tufts made a game of it, pulling within 3-2 early in the second half. However, the Ephs retaliated quickly with their fourth goal and held on for the win. Tufts, the fourth seed in the NESCAC Tournament, finishes their season with an 8-7-1 overall record. Undefeated Williams ups their overall record to 16-0.

Williams midfielder Sara Wild scored two of the Ephs' first three goals, tallying her first score at the 10:55 mark. Wild adeptly dribbled around her defender outside the 18-yard box to find space to let off a shot. She nailed a shot right to Tufts keeper, senior Kate Minnehan (Hopkinton, NH), who got a touch on the ball, but bobbled the save and allowed the ball to get past her into the net for the early Williams lead.

Ephs defender Kara Duggan scored the second goal of the game in the 19th minute. Tyler Rainer assisted on the play after collecting a corner kick from the far post, and playing a cross towards net. Duggan headed the ball for the two-goal advantage. Wild rounded out the Ephs' early scoring at the 22:17 mark, capitalizing on a foul in front of net. She laced a ball to the bottom left corner for the 3-0 lead.

Tufts would not go down without a fight, and narrowed the lead just one minute later. Sophomore Alix Michael (Mercer Island, WA) took a shot from far out that was perfectly placed above leaping Ephs keeper Lauren Sinnenberg for the visiting team's first goal of the game.

Tufts got within one goal of the Ephs after scoring early in the second half. Junior Sarah Nolet (Los Altos, CA) used her 6-foot frame to head a cross into the back left corner to bring the score to 3-2. The two goals by Tufts were the most allowed by Williams on Cole Field in the 2009 season.

Less than five minutes later, at 52:29, Rainer scored the Ephs' fourth goal for a more comfortable lead. Off a pass from Brett Eisenhart, Rainer quickly dribbled outside and away from her defender and placed a ball that curved perfectly to the top left corner for the 4-2 lead.

Sinnenberg recorded six saves in the win, while Minnehan tallied 7 saves in the Jumbos' loss.

Williams will face Middlebury in the NESCAC Championship Game tomorrow at noon.

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