Williams Earns 4-1 Victory Against Connecticut College in Field Hockey First Round
Courtesy Williams Sports Information
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williams College field hockey team advanced to the second round of the NESCAC tournament today with a 4-1 win over Connecticut College. This win advances them to the second round where they will face Amherst who beat Middlebury 2-1 in their contest today. The Ephs got to the second round by having to come back against a tough Conn College team that jumped ahead 1-0 early in the contest when Becky Nyce scored an unassisted goal at 29:14. "The seedings in the tournament do not mean much," said Ephs Coach Alex Rorke, "any team can beat the other on any given day, and Conn played tough from the beginning".
The Ephs were able to respond, as they have all year, when Ann Schorling scored from Lyssa Castonguay under five minutes after the Conn goal at 23:39. Coach Rorke was not pleased that the team went down early, but commented on how they played after acquiring the deficit, "All year we have played with more intensity when we were either down or in a tight game. I think that the Conn goal got the team fired up and we immediately turned the momentum in our favor." The Ephs added another goal at 8:31 when Tori Scott scored from Heather Kallus to give the team a 2-1 halftime edge.
The team came out firing on all cylinders in the second half of play. An unassisted goal by Alison Stepp at 23:51, followed by a Step Noering score from heather Kallus at 19:27 gave the Ephs a comfortable edge. Coach Rorke was extremely pleased with the way the team played, "It was great to see the team step up and play as well as they did. We have been setting goals all year, and up to this point we have reached many of them. We look forward to the next game when we can continue to work toward our next goal." Coach Rorke gives a lot of credit to the seniors, "The leadership that our seniors have shown on and off the filed is what makes this team so great."
Monelle Quevillon was once again outstanding as she notched 5 saves on the day. "Monelle has been our equalizer this season, her presence back there is what keeps this team together," added Coach Rorke. When the team went down 1-0. Quevillon felt some pressure, but remained tough between the posts, and as the Ephs notched their own goals, Monelle was able to relax a bit and play the great type of game she has been delivering all year.
Coach Rorke was excited about the possibility of playing rival Amherst College to try to avenge an earlier loss this season, "We want to play Amherst, that’s what it’s all about, and it should be a great game." Coach Rorke and the Ephs will get that chance as when they play Amherst in the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament this Saturday at 1:30 at Bowdoin College. The game should be very well contested and the winner will earn not only bragging rights, but also a berth in the Championship game of the NESCAC Tournament.
