Endicott plagued by slow start versus Williams
April 14, 2008
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - The Williams College women's lacrosse team (3-6, 1-5 NESCAC) defeated the Endicott College Gulls (8-5, 6-0 TCCC) by a final score of 16-10 in Williamstown, Mass. on Monday.
Senior Allison Murray (Alexandria, Va.) and sophomore Tina Nawrocki (Winchester, UK) came out strong for Williams scoring two goals each in the first ten minutes of the game. Endicott responded with two goals of their own before Murray scored her third goal off a pass from Adkins. Senior Emily Judd (Peabody, Mass.) closed the Gulls scoring for the half at 12:50 with a free position shot, while Britt Spackman (Newton, Mass.), Alice Nelson (Hanover, N.H.), Whitney Thayer (Lancaster, Pa.), and Sara du Pont (Easton, Md.) each netted a goal for the Ephs to end the half with a 9-3 lead.
Endicott put the pressure on the Ephs to start the second half with Judd scoring at 27:27. Du Pont and Murray each netted another goal for the Ephs and sophomore Anne Marie Burke (Narberth, Pa.) scored a diving goal off a pass from Adkins.
However Endicott fought back, scoring six more goals to the Ephs three in the last 20 minutes of the game. Murray scored two of the last three for Williams while Thayer sealed the victory off a pass from du Pont with 16 seconds left on the clock.
Senior Allison Murray (Alexandria, Va.) led the Ephs offense with seven goals, while senior Sarah Adkins (Oxford, Md.) was also a strong contributor with five assists. Senior Emily Judd and sophomore Valerie Feldman (Albany, N.Y.) scored four and three goals respectively for the Gulls.
The goal keeping was strong for both teams, with freshman Julia Schreiber (Cockeysville, Md.) making 11 saves for the Ephs and Molly Hamel (North Yarmouth, Maine) turning aside 7 attempts for the Gulls.
Williams domination of draw controls also contributed to the victory. The Ephs won 22 draws compared to Endicott's 6. Ephs' Whitney Thayer was particularly successful, capturing 7.
Williams head coach Chris Mason was pleased with her team's play. "We were excited about the last minute game as we only scheduled it last Thursday," said Mason. "We knew they were a good team because they beat MIT and Connecticut College earlier in the season, but we had great pressure. It was good to see the intensity of practice brought into the game."
Mason was also particularly pleased with Schreiber's goal keeping and Murray's offensive play: "Schreiber played great, and it was a great day for Allison Murray."
The Ephs next contest is Thursday at 7:00 p.m. against Skidmore College on Lamb field. Endicott will return to action on Wednesday, taking on Western New England College at Endicott Stadium in Beverly, Mass. Game time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.