Anyone Besides Williams?: NESCAC Women’s Soccer Power Rankings

NESCAC Women’s Soccer Power Rankings

Sydney Jones ‘21 torching Trinity defenders
  1. Williams: 5-0 (3-0)

The Ephs not only sit atop our inaugural NESCAC Women’s Soccer Power Rankings, but also claim the #1 ranking in the entire country. Even with the graduation of three First Team All-NESCAC honorees, Williams returns the bulk of their roster with expectations to repeat as national champions.  Last year’s leading goal scorer Alison Lu ’20 has yet to play this season (due to an injury?), but forward Sydney Jones ’21 has single-handily carried the offense in her absence, accounting for more than half of the team’s goals. Despite the perfect start, however, the Ephs have had close encounters in some of their earlier conference games; for example, a 1-0 home victory over lowly Colby is a pretty disappointing result considering the talent discrepancy between the two schools. While Williams may not be necessarily dominating its opponents, this is the most talented team in the ‘CAC and certainly the favorite to repeat as NESCAC/NCAA Champions.

Up Next: The Ephs begin a four-game road trip this Saturday, starting in Amherst to take on the Mammoths in what should present a nice challenge for Williams.  The following day, they travel north to face weaker opponent in Bates; however, the Bobcats were able to escape Williamstown with a draw last year, so the Ephs cannot afford to take them lightly.

  1. Middlebury: 5-0 (2-0)

The Panthers kicked off their 2018 NESCAC campaign in impressive fashion, shutting out Conn College on the road before heading home and snagging a hard-fought 3-1 win against Amherst.  In my book, that’s two wins against teams that will finish in the top half of the standings when it’s all said and done. Middlebury features a balanced offense attack, headlined by Leah Salzman ’21 and Sabrina Glaser ’20. Glaser was particularly affective against the Mammoths, finding the net twice after the Mammoths took a 1-0 lead early in the first half. Goalkeeper Ursula Alwang ’20 has been phenomenal in their two conference games, saving 19/20 shots on goal.

Up Next: Middlebury has a home date with Bowdoin on Saturday, followed by a short road trip to Hamilton on Sunday. A sweep of their weekend matches would bode extremely well in hopes of keeping pace with Williams, as the hunt for the regular season title intensifies in the coming weeks.

  1. Tufts: 5-0 (3-0)

Coach Martha Whiting couldn’t have scripted a better start for the Jumbos. An undefeated start to the season is impressive enough, but to be the only team in the ‘CAC thus far to not allow a single goal is a remarkable achievement. Last year’s First Team All-NESCAC goalkeeper Emily Bowers ’19 headlines the Jumbo’s impenetrable back wall, which has shut out the likes of Colby, Wesleyan and Bates.  Granted, these three teams aren’t exactly the cream of the crop in the NESCAC, but 3-0 is 3-0. Sophie Lloyd ’21 has tallied six goals in her first three games, but missed the last two against Wesleyan and Bates (once again assuming an injury here).

Up Next: The Jumbos are off this week in terms of conference games, with a match against Brandeis on Sunday. Hopefully Lloyd will be deemed fit for next weekend’s date with Amherst, as this will be Tufts’ first real test in conference play.

  1. Amherst: 4-1 (1-1)

The Mammoths check in at number four on this week’s power rankings due to an offense that has weapons all across the pitch; headlined by forward Rubii Tamen ’20, Amherst has six players who have registered two goals or more this season. Even in their 3-1 loss to Middlebury, the Mammoths outshot the Ephs, signifying a closer game between the two than the final score indicated. Amherst has the toughest schedule in September, with contests against the three top teams in the league (Williams and Tufts remain, as they already played Middlebury).

Up Next: Amherst’s date with Williams could be a defining point for both teams, but is definitely more important for the Mammoths. A win on their own turf would have this squad at 2-1 before a road trip to Tufts the following week; a loss on Saturday and the Mammoths could potentially be facing a 1-3 start in conference play.

  1. Hamilton: 2-1-1 (2-1)
When will Hamilton start converting shots into goals?

The Continentals are a usual middle-of-the-pack team that might finally break through and cause some havoc in league play. They gave the Ephs a scare in their close 2-1 loss, and followed up that performance with two wins against Bates and Trinity. More impressive, they allowed a total of nine combined shots against the Bobcats and Bantams, and fired a whopping 65 shots! I’m all about a good ratio and that’s as solid as they come. The one concern I have is not the offensive capability the Continentals possess, but whether they can cash more of those shots into goals. They’ve taken 100 shots in their five regular season games, but only five goals have come from that – a ratio that is dead last in the NESCAC.

Up Next: Hamilton has a tough conference slate this weekend; first, they host Conn College, whom they have not beaten in five years (three losses, two draws). It doesn’t get any easier the next day, when Middlebury visits Clinton with revenge on their mind after the Continentals upset the Panthers in the quarterfinals of last year’s NESCAC Tournament. A split would be a nice result, but an unbeaten weekend would send a message to the rest of the ‘CAC that Hamilton can hang with the big boys.

  1. Connecticut College: 4-1 (0-1)

Not too long ago (2015), the Camels endured a winless campaign and finished near the bottom of the league. 2016 saw a slight improvement, but not many would have expected Conn to vault into second place in 2017. The Camels are out to prove doubters in the NESCAC that their 2017 season was not a fluke. Sure they’ve lost some talent, but last season’s leading goal scorer for the Camels (Kat Norton ’21) is back along with Alex Baltazar ’19. They held firm with Middlebury until the latter stages of the game, and actually outshot the Panthers 20-19. I think the Camels can surprise some teams this season, but will need to produce actual results early on in the year in order for others to buy into the hype.

Up Next:Following a road trip to Hamilton, the Camels head back home to take on Colby. Conn understands while both games are important, the Continentals present a much (emphasis on much) tougher challenge than the Mules. A sweep of this weekend’s games would give the Camels a much-needed confidence boost before next weekend’s date with Williams.

  1. Wesleyan: 4-2 (1-1)
Liz Young ’19 will look to lead the Cardinals to the postseason

The Cardinals were bad last year; there’s no way to sugarcoat it. However, they’ve already tied their conference win total from last year with a victory over Bowdoin this past Saturday. Liz Young ’19 notched her third goal of the young season against the Polar Bears, and will look to lead her Cardinals to a potential playoff berth (something that’s alluded this program the last four years).

Up Next:The Cardinals have a very winnable game against Bates on Saturday, and if they want to take that next step in securing a playoff berth, they’ll need to leave Lewiston with a positive result. The Bobcats went into Middletown last season and came away with a 1-0 victory, so Wesleyan will want to return the favor.

  1. Bowdoin: 2-2-1 (1-2)

Bowdoin slots in at the eight hole primarily because the three teams below them are winless in conference play.  The Polar Bear’s first two games in the NESCAC went pretty well; although they fell 1-0 to Amherst, it was a tightly contested battle, and then they gave in-state rival Bates a spanking by the tune of 4-0.  The 2-0 loss to Wesleyan really took the wind out of the sail, and could be a vital result as the two teams will most certainly jockey for playoff seeding throughout the season. Morgen Gallagher ’20 has fired a team-high 20 shots so far, but only one goal has resulted from them.  She and the rest of her Polar Bears crew will look to generate more consistency on the offensive side of the ball, as Bowdoin has been shut out in three of their five games to date.

Up Next: The Polar Bears will travel to Middlebury to take on the Panthers this weekend.  Bowdoin has surprisingly owned the Panthers in recent history, winning the last four regular season matches.  They’ll look to push the streak to five with an upset on Saturday.

  1. Trinity: 2-3 (0-2)

After starting the season 0-3, the Bantams picked up two non-conference wins by a combined score of 7-0. Don’t let that goose egg fool you, however, because the Bantam defense was downright atrocious in its first two conference games. I understand giving up 25 shots to Williams in a 3-1 defeat, but they gave up 37 shots against Hamilton IN A SINGLE GAME. That has to be some sort of typo, because if it isn’t, the Bantams will have some problems later in the year.  On the bright side, goalie Taylor O’Conner ’21 has been remarkable, leading the ‘CAC with 30 saves and doing her best to keep her team in the game.

Up Next: Trinity’s favorable early schedule now features four straight games against teams expected to finish in the bottom half of the conference.  The first one up is a home game against Colby; the Bantams need a victory here if they want to move up from the cellar of the conference. More so, they need a solid defensive performance on Saturday to instill confidence in a unit that has been struggling mightily and will be needed as the season goes by.

  1. Colby: 2-2 (0-2)

There are few sports that Colby is better at than Bates. I’m not saying Colby women’s soccer is better than this Bates team, but at this early point in the season, I am slotting the Mules just ahead of the Bobcats because they’ve played better in their conference losses. Relatively close losses to Tufts and Williams are still losses at the end of the day, but can be used as vital experience when it comes time to playing weaker conference foes. The trio of Catherine Fraser ’19, Olivia Greif ’21 and Juliette Nadeau ’22 have carried the Mule offense to date, but these three will need to have a bigger impact in their remaining conference games in order for Colby to snag a playoff spot.

Up Next: Colby has two games this weekend, both in the state of Connecticut. First, they have a date with Trinity; with the way the Trinity defense is playing (this can’t be stressed enough), the Mules have a real opportunity to win this game. The following day, they have a tougher opponent in Conn College, but a split from this weekend series would be a nice result.

  1. Bates: 2-3 (0-3)

The Bobcats have played three conference games: they’ve given up eight goals and haven’t scored any of their own. These kinds of numbers typically don’t result in a recipe for success. Bates is in dire need of offense, as they sit dead last in the NESCAC for goals scored and shots taken, and second-to-last in assists. Olivia Amdur ’19 ended her 2017 campaign tied for fifth in goals, yet hasn’t found the net this season. The Bobcats desperately need her to wake up from her slump and find players to get her the ball; otherwise they have a long season ahead.

Up Next: Bates has two home games this weekend, with the first being Wesleyan. As mentioned above, the ‘Cats can definitely win this game, but Wesleyan will be well prepared after losing to Bates a season ago. The following game features Williams, a team that Bates hasn’t defeated since 2010. I’d expect that trend to continue, but hey, crazier things have happened in sports.

Camels and Bobcats, Oh My: Bates @ Connecticut College Women’s Soccer Game of the Week

Bates (5-2-1, 2-1-1) vs. Connecticut College (7-1-1, 4-1-1), New London, CT, 11:30 AM

It takes a big man to admit failure. Well, I can say that I’m five times a big man because I went 0-5 in my predictions last week. Each game proved to be a nail-bitter with a single goal being the difference maker in both games. This is why we love sports. On any given weekend, a team can put on a spectacle for avid sports fan, and pull off a shocker. Without Williams playing this weekend, the spotlight can be put on other games.

Once again, the game of the week features the Conn College Camels. After a devastating goal against on an Eph corner kick in overtime last weekend, the Camels lost their undefeated season bid. The Camels came ever so close to upsetting the Ephs on their homecoming weekend, and becoming the only undefeated team left in the ‘Cac. They might have a shot of redemption against Williams in the NESCAC playoffs. Nevertheless, the Camels can’t dwell on the loss, and must turn the page because a very strong Bates team is traveling to New London on Saturday. This weekend is also homecoming for the Camels, so they have to show that they’re one of the league’s best to make the alumni proud. After last weekend, the Camels still rank second in the conference in GF (goals for). This statistic illustrates the wealth of offense the Camels possess. Their diversified offense helps them against stellar defensive teams because when one player gets shutdown, it’s next woman up.

Bryanna Montalvo
Bryanna Montalvo ’18

However, Conn really showed its defensive potential against the high-powered Ephs last weekend. Williams normally scores two to three goals per game in conference play. The Camels held them to only one goal including an overtime period. G Bryanna Montalvo ‘18 has shown veteran leadership and steady play in net; she’s a rock back there— ranking in the top five in save percentage and leading the league in wins. Before the Williams game, I thought Conn’s only chance of beating Williams was outscoring them. The Camels proved to me and the world that they have as much fire-power on defense as they do on offense.

The Bobcats come into Saturday with a loss as well against Trinity, respectively. This loss shocked me because Bates has played so well, and has won tight games. Their defense and opportune offense led them to a road-win win against Wesleyan, but Trinity’s offense last weekend proved to be too much for them. Olivia Amdur ‘19 ranks third in the ‘Cac in points, but she seems like one of the only offensive inputs for the Bobcats. The rest of the offensive needs to step up and rally behind Amdur if they want to compete with the well-rounded Camels. G Sarah McCarthy ‘18 leads goalies in the NESCAC in all major statistical categories, but we saw against Trinity that if the opposing teams build a lead against the Bobcats, they have trouble coming back. The squad does, however, have a game against one-third of the CBB rivalry tonight (10/4) in the form of Bowdoin. A win here could give a much needed boost to the Bobcats offense against a mediocre Bowdoin defense.

UPDATE: The Bobcats defense fell flat against Bowdoin, surrendering too many shots and too many goals in a 3-2 loss. If they play like the against Conn, it will be a blowout, but I’m banking on them coming back hungry and ready to get back on track.

Sarah McCarthy struggled against Bowdoin last night, and will need to play better against Conn College.

I picked this game as the game of the week because of the potential both teams show to knock off presumptive favorite Williams. If I were the Ephs come playoff time, I would be very nervous facing either of these two teams. Bates has already tied the Ephs, while the Camels were edged on a ‘soft’ Eph goal in overtime. Like we saw last weekend, anything can happen on any given Saturday in the NESCAC. A win in this came will be a shot of confidence for both teams, and keep them in the upper-echelon of the league with Williams. Even though I really like Bates’ road play and defensive game, the Camels’ consistency will be too much for them.

Score prediction: 1-0 O.T. Connecticut College

Week In Review, 9/19-9/25: NESCAC Women’s Soccer

Caroline Kelleher '18 had a hat tricker against Hamilton this weekend to help extend the #22 Camels' win streak to 7 games (Courtesy of Conn College Athletics).
Caroline Kelleher ’18 had a hat tricker against Hamilton this weekend to help extend the #22 Camels’ win streak to 7 games (Courtesy of Conn College Athletics).

Editor’s Note: The NESCAC Women’s Soccer Week In Review is a new feature that we are going to be rolling out this fall. We feel strongly that women’s sports in the NESCAC should also be covered, but unfortunately due to our current resources, we can’t cover them to the extent that we wish we could. We are going to be putting out a weekly article with updates on NESCAC Women’s Soccer action, however staff size is going to limit us to just one article each week for now. That being said, if you have ANY interest in writing (about Women’s Soccer or any of the other sports we cover) or contributing in some way, please send us an email at nothingbutnescac@gmail.com so that we can expand our coverage! For now, enjoy this week’s women’s soccer update!


Hey guess what! Nothing but NESCAC is expanding! Starting with this article, we’ll begin providing weekly updates on all the goings on in NESCAC women’s soccer. I’m Liam Naughton, an accomplished FIFA player and 3rd grade travel soccer MVP, but enough about me. Let’s dive into this past week.

Wednesday, September 21st

Wesleyan @ Tufts, Final Score: 0-0 tie

A mid-week matchup between the Jumbos and the Cardinals ended in a grueling 0-0 draw after two overtimes. Tufts held a decisive shot advantage testing the Wesleyan defense 17 times, while the visitors only managed to spray 8 shots towards Tufts’ net. Of course, the best opportunity of the game came in the 99th minute for Wesleyan when Tufts’ goal keeper Emily Bowers ’19 was forced to make a diving save off a shot from Sarah Sylla ’17 of Wesleyan. After a slow first half in which the Jumbos were stifled by Wesleyan’s intense pressure, Tufts took control more in the second half, but just weren’t able to convert any of their chances into goals. Tufts, who so far have not lost in NESCAC competition will look to build off this game in the coming weeks.

Castleton @ Middlebury, Final Score: 3-1 Middlebury

Conn College @ Coast Guard, Final Score: 2-0 Conn College

Thursday, September 22nd

Emerson @ Trinity, Final Score: 0-3 Trinity

Saturday, September 24th

Bowdoin @ Middlebury, Final Score: 1-0 Bowdoin
The Bowdoin Polar Bears visited the Middlebury Panthers this past weekend and escaped with a hard fought 1-0 win. Middlebury’s aggressive and potent offense (averaging over 2 goals a game this season) was unable to beat Bowdoin goalie Rachel Stout ’18. Adrianna Gildner ’17 provided two of Middlebury’s best opportunities, attempting a bicycle kick early in the first half that flew by the post, and testing Stout on a free kick late in the first half. Despite Gildner’s efforts, it was Bowdoin’s Anna Mellman ’17 who slotted home the game’s only goal, beating Panther goalie Ursula Alwang ’20 with a cracking shot from nearly 35 yards away.

Connecticut College @ Hamilton, Final Score: 3-0 Conn College

Conn College ran over Hamilton in this early season match, besting the host Continentals by a score of 3-0. The Camels (ranked 22nd nationally) relied on the foot of junior midfielder Caroline Kelleher ’18 who scored 3 goals in the match. Conn College began attacking early, Kelleher notching her first goal 5 minutes into the match and her second 13 minutes later. Kelleher then scored her third goal 5 minutes into the second half, demonstrating her dominance. Hamilton forward Amanda Becker ’18 tested Conn College goalie Bryanna Montalvo ’17 twice, but neither she nor any of her teammates were able to best the senior goalie.

Wesleyan @ Bates, Final Score: 2-2 tie

The Bobcats scored two goals in quick succession in the second half to force a draw between themselves and the visiting Wesleyan Cardinals. Wesleyan had jumped out to an early lead behind a penalty kick from Nicole Brodkowitz ’20 after only 11 minutes of action. Wesleyan further extended their lead after Sarah Sylla ’17 scored 10 minutes into the second half. Bates scored consecutive goals in the 83rd and 84th minutes. First, Olivia Amdur ’19 rifled a shot by Wesleyan keeper Zoe Cassels-Brown ’20. Amdur was assisted on her goal Hannah Behringer ’18 who scored herself a minute later off a well worked set piece.

Colby @ TrinityFinal Score: 1-3 Trinity

Trinity scored early and often and cruised past the visiting Colby Mules 3-1. The Bantams flashed a balanced scoring attack, getting goals from Taylor Kirchgessner ’19, Laura Nee ’17, and Sarah Connors ’18 in the 13th, 27th, and 33rd minutes respectively. Colby seemed to be on their backfoot for most of the game, mustering only 5 total shots on target. Only one shot managed to find the back of the net for the Mules as Emily Martin ’18 scored off of an assist from Laura Arnold ’18 two minutes into the second half.

Williams @ Amherst, 1-1 tie

In the 2nd double overtime game of the weekend, Williams and Amherst drew 1-1. Williams, who has not lost yet this season, fell behind early after Amherst scored on a beautiful run and finish by Hannah Guzzi ’18. Williams refused to go down easily, constantly pressuring Amherst’s defense to the tune of 22 shots and sheer domination in terms of possession. Only one shot managed to beat Amherst keeper Chelsea Cutler ’19 though, which came via the foot of Williams’ Kristina Alvarado ’18. Alvarado managed to score on a quality finish after an errant clearance by the Amherst backline. After a scoreless two periods of overtime, the match ended in a draw.

Brandeis @ TuftsFinal Score: 1-1 tie

Sunday, September 25th

Middlebury @ HamiltonFinal Score: 1-0 Middlebury

Middlebury rebounded from their difficult defeat Saturday to beat Hamilton 1-0. Middlebury was on the attack for most of the game, attempting 14 shots and winning 6 corner kicks. But Hamilton’s back line would bend but refused to break, until less than 10 minutes remained in regulation. Katherine Hobbs ’17 continued her season of great form scoring her fourth goal of the season. After winning possession off a corner kick, Hobbs quickly finished the shot and secured Middlebury’s second win in the conference this season.

Colby @ Connecticut College, 0-3 Conn College

Conn College continued their weekend of domination, defeating the Colby mules by a score of 3-0. Colby remained winless in the conference falling to 0-4 and played on their back foot for most of the game. The low point of the game certainly came when Colby scored an own goal after a well placed cross from Alex Baltazar ’19. Conn College has yet to lose in the conference this season and looked utterly dominant throughout the weekend, scoring 6 goals and allowing 0. Michelle Medina ’18 and Livi Block ’18 scored the remaining goals for the Camels, beating Colby keeper Samantha Rizzo ’19, who put up a valiant fight in a losing effort, saving 7 shots.

Williams @ Bates2-0 Williams

Williams bounced back from their draw with Amherst to defeat the hosting Bates Bobcats 2-0. Alison Lu ’20 scored her 5th goal of the season, using her head to control a pass from Kristin Kirshe ’17 and then driving the shot past the keeper. Kirshe added her own goal in the second half, beating Bobcats’ goalie Sarah McCarthy ’18 off a pass from Lu. Williams remains undefeated in the conference improving to 4-0-1, while Bates remained winless at 0-4-1. All eyes will be on Williams next weekend when they meet fellow unbeaten Conn College in New London, Connecticut.

Farmingdale State @ AmherstFinal Score: 1-3 Amherst

Player of the Week

This weeks player of the week goes to Conn College’s Caroline Kelleher ’18. The junior from Holden, Massachusetts scored all three of her teams goals against Hamilton and led the Camels to their 3-0 victory. These were Kelleher’s first three goals of the season, but her coaches surely hope that this is a sign of things to come, as another threat would do nothing but elevate Conn College’s already deadly attacking play.