Ephs down Wesleyan 3-0 in season opener
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Ephs put forth a consistent defensive effort against Wesleyans speed and strong offense garnering them their first win on the 2009 field hockey season. With key contributions ranging from first-years to seniors, Ephs have gained the momentum necessary to continue competing successfully.
From the first sound of the whistle, Wesleyan consistently put forth an aggressive offense only to be answered by an even stronger defensive effort by the Ephs led by sophomore Meera Sivalingam (Philadelphia, PA). After 20 minutes of play and a penalty corner call, Williams speedy first-year Kelly Nault (Longmeadow, MA) hit net off an assist by Sivalingam putting Ephs ahead for the remainder of the competition. This game winProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 ng goal gave the Ephs the necessary offensive momentum to deliver their first shut-out of the season to Wesleyan.
Nault scored the two remaining goals for the Ephs in the first period off assists by sophomore Lucy Rollins (Rye, NY) and Sivalingam respectively. Despite taking one more shot than Williams in the first (7-6) and having two more penalty corner opportunities (4-2), Wesleyan came out of the period scoreless. Eph junior goalie Katrina Tulla (New Canaan, CT) contributed 1 save while Cardinal first-year goalie Tori Redding (Guilford, CT) had 2.
The second period of play echoed much of the first, but with no Proxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 als to show for it. Wesleyan came out with 10 penalty corners, to Williams 1 while the Cardinals also had 13 shots for the period (2 on goal), to Williams 2 (1 on goal). Both Eph and Cardinal goalkeepers stayed in the net for the entire 70 minutes of play. Tulla tallied 3 more saves, while Redding tallied one more for the second period.
In their win over Wesleyan, the Ephs efficiency and determination was reflected in their few, but successful shots and dependable defense. Williams benefited from behind-the-scenes players like sophomore Margie Fulton (Wellesley, MA) and junior Whitney Thayer (Lancaster, PA) who each uniquely contributed to the successful outcome. Even with 8 first-years on the team, Williams came out on top using these players as well as those more experienced for the win.
“After our first goal we gained the momentum and confidence necessary to clinch the win,” said coach Alix Barrale (10th Season), “For how young we are, we really came together; it was a great defensive effort.”
