#1 Williams prevails in battle versus Trinity, 4-2
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Breaking a 2-2 tie in the 71st minute of play, Walmsley’s goal swung much- needed momentum back towards Williams (7-0, 4-0) and away from a physical Trinity (4-3, 0-3) squad that had challenged the Ephs more so than any other opponent this season.
“Sarah is a goal scorer,” said Williams’ head coach Michelyne Pinard. “She is a dynamic, fun player, and she exemplified that today. We had been asking her to play more defensively this season, and today we moved her up top to where she’s more comfortable. That comfort showed in this goal, and it was a great one.”
The final margin of 4-2 can be quite deceptive, as Williams and Trinity were engaged in a tight battle for ninety minutes. Although the Ephs led by a two- goal margin with nine minutes left on the clock, the Bantams proved they could come back from a deficit quickly.
Trinity stunned the Ephs with an early goal. At just shy of the seven minute- mark, Jenny Ley capitalized on an empty net to put her team up, 1-0. Williams goalkeeper Lauren Sinnenberg came out of goal in a foot race with Ley to retrieve the ball. While Sinnenberg got their first, the ball deflected off her hands and Ley collected for the score.
With ample time to play, Williams remained calm and continued to fight on the field. Brianna Wolfson displayed her ball-handling talent, flicking the ball over her head and collecting her own pass. Just outside the goal box, Wolfson took a soft-liner towards goal but Bantam keeper Emily Weedon deflected it. Gabrielle Woodson capitalized off the deflection and tapped the ball in goal to knot the score.
The Ephs reclaimed the lead just seven minutes later. After Pinard subbed in five new players, fresh legs provided a renewed offensive energy for the Ephs. Annelise Snyder continually let loose well-placed shots left in today’s contest, and converted at the 28:24 mark off a feed from Tyler Rainer. Rainer crossed the ball to Snyder on the far right post. Snyder laced an arched shot that curved just above the fingertips of a leaping Weedon and landed into the upper left corner.
Heading into halftime, the Ephs led 2-1 but it was by no means a comfortable margin. With a combined 24 called fouls, and probably more that could have been whistled, Trinity and Williams played a physical battle. Hit after hit tested each team’s ability to bounce back.
“Trinity is an athletic, physical team,” continued Pinard. “They brought that today, and we had to handle that. They have phenomenal young talent that played like upperclassman today. They were so composed on the ball, which gave us difficulty.”
Coming out of the half, the Bantams did not look at all discouraged and were determined to come from behind. Ley was involved in the mix once again, as she crossed the ball to teammate Leigh Howard. Howard charging in from midfield, hit a hard ball on the ground to the far right post to tie the game 2-2 at the 57:53 mark. Trinity’s two goals were the most relinquished by a Williams team in a regular season game since October 11, 2006.
Williams, in an unfamiliar position, embraced the challenge as only the number one-ranked team in the country would do. In the latest polls, the Ephs sit atop the national rankings, having moved up two spots since last week. Walmsley proceeded to score the game-winner, while Sara Wild capped off the four-goal game with an insurance tally at 81:05.
