Coming Down to the Wire: Women’s Soccer Weekly Recap 10/13-10/18

The Jumbos split on the weekend, putting them in 5th place leading into the final week of action (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics).
The Jumbos split on the weekend, putting them in 5th place leading into the final week of action (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics).

Hey everyone listenNo really please listen. NESCAC womens soccer was crazy this weekend, it really was and Im here to tell you all about it. So calm down, or get amped, Im a writer not a cop, and get ready to be spoon fed all the excitement that happened on the pitch this weekend.

 

Thursday, October 13th

Thomas College @ Bates, Final Score: 1-6 Bates

 

Saturday, October 15th

Bowdoin @ Hamilton, Final Score: 2-0 Bowdoin

Bowdoin controlled much of this Saturday afternoon matchup, besting the host Continentals by a score of 2-0. The first 20 minutes of play were relatively even until Bowdoin forward Emma Beane 20 stole the ball in Hamiltons half and beat keeper Emily Dumont 18.  Hamilton, perhaps sensing another loss on the horizon, played aggressively in the first half, attempting 12 shots, but couldnt find the back of the net. In the second half, Bowdoins Claire Dardinski 19 scored off a pass from Brigit Bergin after her initial attempt was saved.

 

Middlebury @ Trinity, Final Score: 2-1 Middlebury

In a battle between two teams vying to be included in the upper echelons of the conference, the visiting Middlebury Panthers defeated the Bantams of Trinity by a score of 2-1. Middlebury struck first in the game when Alissa “Good Will” Huntington 18 scored a header off a corner kick delivered by Amy Martin 17. Middlebury then extended their lead early in the second half when Adrianna Gildner 17 blasted a free kick passed Bantam goalkeeper Julia Pitino 18. Trinity scored their only goal of the afternoon a few minutes later when two great efforts by Trinity players Taylor Kirchgessner 19 and Nicole Stauffer 17 bounced off the crossbar. The ensuing scramble left Panther keeper Ursula Alwang 20 in a precarious position after a diving save attempt and Stauffer was able to finish her rebound. Alwang made a diving save later in the half to protect the Panther lead and earn them the victory.

 

Tufts @ Conn College, Final Score: 1-0 Tufts

A defensive battle saw the visiting Jumbos defeat the Camels by a score of 1-0. Conn has now lost 3 of their last 4 NESCAC games and seems to be struggling to score as 2 of those losses have been by a score of 1-0. Neither team found the back of the net for the first hour of play, but then, in the 63rd minute, Tufts midfielder Sarah Pykkonen 17 beat Conn keeper Bryanna Montalvo 18 to score the only goal of the game. Pykkonen was assisted on the play by Alessandra Sadler 19. Conn struggled to create scoring opportunities all game and was surely disappointed to lose such an important game at home.

 

Colby @ Amherst, Final score: 0-2 Amherst

Amherst, unlike Trinity and Conn, held serve in their Saturday game, defeating the visiting Colby Mules 2-0. After Saturday, Amherst had won 6 games in a row and had done so in dominant fashion. The win over Colby was no different. Hannah Guzzi 18 scored both goals for Amherst, one in each half. She scored her first goal at about the 20 minute mark, capitalizing on a possession where Amherst attempted shots on goal 3 times before finally slotting one into the back of the net. Guzzi’s other goal came in the second half, this time scoring off a cross from Maeve McNamara 19. Guzzi is now tied for the league lead in total goals scored with 10. Colby never really got going on offense in this game, only mustering 3 shots and struggling to retain possession.

 

Wesleyan @ Williams, Final score: 0-6 Williams

Not every game can be close. Or even kind of close. Or even sort of kind of close. Williams, ranked second nationally, absolutely dominated the visiting Cardinals to the tune of 6-0. The Ephs, after Saturdays win, set a new record for consecutive unbeaten matches with 21. The first goal of the game came less than two minutes into the match when Sarah Scire20 had probably the easiest goal of her life after a beautiful pass from Audrey Thomas 17. Next, Natasha Albaneze 18 scored for the Ephs before Thomas added her own goal in the 13th minute of play. Williams closed off their first half onslaught when Lauren Brown 19 rifled a shot past Wesleyan keeper Claire Coyle 20. Scire and Thomas both scored again in the second half to extend the lead to 6 and truly finish off the Cardinals. The Cardinals switched keepers at half, subbing out Coyle in favor of Zoe Cassels-Brown 20 in an attempt to stem the tide of Eph goals.

 

Sunday, October 17th

Tufts @ Trinity, Final score: 0-2 Trinity

Trinity rebounded from their tough loss to Middlebury to defeat the visiting Jumbos by a score of 2-0. Trinity was dominant defensively, controlling the pace and flow of the game for much of the afternoon. They were also ruthlessly efficient on the offensive end, scoring twice on only eight shots. The first goal of the game came in under 10 minutes when Sheena Landy 17 headed in a corner kick from Kendra Lena 17. Tricia Pollock extended Trinitys lead in the second half, beating Emily Bowers 19 and scoring a screamer from 18 yards out.

 

Amherst @ Conn College, Final score: 2-1 Amherst

Conn was unable to defend their home for the second time this weekend, falling to the visitors from Western Mass. Conn came out of the gate quickly, scoring less than a minute into the game. Lauren Steele 18 scored her third goal of the season off an expertly placed cross from Alex Baltazar 19. Sloan Askins 20 responded later in the first half on a long shot. Askins also recorded the game winner late in the second half when she finished a cross sent in by Rubii Tamen 19. Conns Baltazar had an excellent chance just before Askinsgoal, but her chip sailed just high of the cross bar.

 

Bowdoin @ Williams, Final score: 0-2 Williams

Williams put the capper on a perfect weekend by defeating the visiting Polar Bears 2-0. Audrey Thomas scored her third goal of the weekend early in the first half to help the Ephs jump out to a 1-0 lead. Thomas was released on a great pass from Sarah Scire20 who lofted the ball cleverly over the Bowdoin back line. Williamsadded to their tally in the second half when Kristina Alvarado 19 slammed in a shot off a pass from Kristi Kirshe 17. Coming off a win on Saturday, Bowdoin looked relatively outmatched by the team from Williams and struggled to generate good chances, only attempting 1 shot that tested the Williams keeper.

Wesleyan @ Middlebury, Final score: 0-1 Middlebury

Middlebury eked out a victory on Sunday, defeating the visiting Cardinals 1-0. Wesleyan put up a valiant effort, especially on defense, where they consistently bent, but refused to break. The match remained scoreless until the final two minutes of play when Middlebury was finally able to break through. In the 88th minute Amy Martin 17 beat her defender and slid a pass into the box to Emma Shumway 18 who tapped in an easy opportunity to give the panthers the boost they needed to secure victory. The game was certainly highlighted by excellent play in the back lines for the two teams, particularly at the keeper position. Kate Reinmuth 17 for Middlebury and Zoe Cassels-Brown 20 for Wesleyan made 10 combined saves throughout the game, several of which were way, way, way up there on the difficulty scale.

 

Hartwick @ Hamilton, Final score: 1-1 Tie

 

Player of the Week

Amy Martin '17 had a huge weekend for the Panthers (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics).
Amy Martin ’17 had a huge weekend for the Panthers (Courtesy of Middlebury Athletics).

This was a tough week to decide my player of the week award. We had several players who surely deserved the award and I could make a case for giving it to any of them. But it’s not just goal scorers who deserve credit, so this week Im giving it to someone who scored 0 goals. Amy Martin 17 of Middlebury is this week’s player of the week. The senior from Sandy Hook, Connecticut had assists in both games and Middlebury won each game by only 1 goal so she certainly had a sizeable impact. The midfielder is now 7th in the NESCAC in assists in conference games and her passing touch has certainly helped Middlebury go on their recent tear.