WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Freshman Alison Lu (Palo Alto, Calif.) provided the game's only goal, which came in the 68th minute, as the Williams College women's soccer team edged Wentworth Institute of Technology, 1-0, in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament.
With the win, the Ephs, who are ranked third in the NSCAA Division III Poll and fourth in the D3Soccer.com Poll, advance to next weekend's sectionals and will face either Johns Hopkins or Christopher Newport. Williams improves to 17-0-2 on the season and runs its unbeaten streak to 28 games (25-0-3), dating back to last season. The Leopards, making their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, conclude an outstanding campaign at 16-4-3.
Throughout the first half, Williams carried play and had a 12-1 shot advantage at the half. However, of those 12 shots, just five went on goal and were saved by sophomore Micaela Robinson (Goshen, N.Y.). In the 30th minute the Ephs appeared to take a 1-0 lead when a corner kick went directly into the net but the goal was negated due to a foul.
A pair of shots midway through the second half by junior Emily Richard (Fremont, N.H.) and freshman Sidney Brogan (Los Angeles, Calif.) both gave Wentworth a chance to take the lead; however sophomore Olivia Barnhill (New York, N.Y.) saved both bids to keep it a scoreless contest.
Lu's goal came at the 67:57 mark. Sophomore Kristina Alvarado (Murietta, Calif.) brought the ball in along the left side and fed senior Kristi Kirshe (Franklin, Mass.). Kirshe sent a cross through the box where Lu put a shot past Robinson to the right side. The goal was the first allowed by the Black & Gold in the last 629:44.
With 17:37 remaining in the contest, the Ephs nearly went up 2-0, however Robinson made a beautiful diving stop on a senior Gabs Amos-Grosser (Hillsborough, Calif.) shot to keep it a one-goal game.
The remainder of the game saw limited chances for both teams. With time winding down, senior Mary Pastorelli (Whitesboro, N.Y.), who was moved forward from her normal defender position, put a shot on net but Barnhill came up with the save.
Barnhill made four saves, with three coming in the second half. Robinson made seven shots in the loss. She finishes the year allowing just six goals in 1504:27 for a goals against average of 0.36, the lowest in program history. Williams had a 27-4 shot advantage and took all of the game's 10 corner kicks.
Wentworth's nine seniors – Pastorelli, Morgan Miller (Schenectady, N.Y.), Rachel Perras (Portsmouth, R.I.), Kristen Carroll (Tewksbury, Mass.), Amanda Weinberger (Colchester, Conn.), Jen Bergeron (Leominster, Mass.), Mykaela Scarpace (Marlborough, Conn.), Michelle Murphy (West Islip, N.Y.), and Mary Annon (Concord, N.H.) leave the program with a 49-25-13 record, including an impressive 33-7-5 mark over the last two seasons.
August 21, 2017
Four Honored With Awards at Senior Athlete Recognition Luncheon
January 25, 2017
Student-Athletes Recognized on CCC Academic All-Conference Team
January 6, 2017
Desilets Steps Down as Head Women's Soccer Coach
December 20, 2016
Women's Soccer Trio Named NEWISA All-New England
December 1, 2016
Leopards Fare Well in CCC All-Sport Trophy Standings
December 1, 2016
Pastorelli, Miller, Richard Named NSCAA All-New England
November 22, 2016
Women's Soccer Quartet Selected to Play in NEWISA Senior Bowl
November 13, 2016
Women's Soccer Edged by Williams in NCAA Tournament
November 12, 2016
Women's Soccer Advances to Second Round of NCAA Tournament
November 10, 2016
Women's Soccer Earns Pair of Regional Rankings
November 7, 2016
Women's Soccer Sweeps CCC Weekly Awards
November 7, 2016
Women's Soccer to Play Arcadia in NCAA Division III Tournament
November 5, 2016
Champions! Women's Soccer Claims First-Ever CCC Title
November 3, 2016
Women's Soccer Holds at No. 11 in NCAA Regional Ranking
October 29, 2016
Women's Soccer Blanks Western New England in CCC Tournament
October 27, 2016
Women's Soccer Remains Ranked in NCAA Regional Rankings
October 27, 2016
Perras Named to Academic All-District Team
October 27, 2016
Seven Women's Soccer Players Recognized by the CCC
October 26, 2016
Women's Soccer Earns Second Seed in CCC Tournament
October 25, 2016
Women's Soccer Ends Regular Season With Scoreless Draw at UNE
October 22, 2016
Women's Soccer Shuts Out Endicott
October 20, 2016
Women's Soccer Earns NCAA Regional Ranking
October 19, 2016
Fast Start Paces Women's Soccer Past Eastern Nazarene
October 15, 2016
Women's Soccer Notches First-Ever Win at Gordon
October 12, 2016
Framingham State Halts Women's Soccer's Streak
October 11, 2016
Richard Named CCC Offensive Player of the Week
October 8, 2016
Women's Soccer Rolls to Fifth Straight Win
October 6, 2016
Leopard Soccer Teams Honored by the NSCAA
October 5, 2016
Women's Soccer Pulls Away From UMass Boston
October 3, 2016
Miller Named CCC Defensive Player of the Week
October 1, 2016
Second Half Surge Lifts Women's Soccer Past Western New England
September 26, 2016
Scarpace Named CCC Offensive Player of the Week
September 26, 2016
Women's Soccer Rallies Past Western Connecticut
September 24, 2016
Women's Soccer Gets Back on Winning Track
September 21, 2016
Women's Soccer Ties WPI
September 18, 2016
Late Goal Lifts Amherst Past Women's Soccer, 1-0
September 17, 2016
Women's Soccer Battles to 0-0 Tie With Roger Williams
September 15, 2016
Second Half Rally Pushes Brandeis Past Women's Soccer
September 14, 2016
Women's Soccer Earns NSCAA Regional Ranking
September 10, 2016
Women's Soccer Rolls Past Curry in CCC Opener
September 6, 2016
Robinson Named CCC Defensive Player of the Week
September 6, 2016
Women's Soccer Cruises Past Emmanuel
September 4, 2016
Women's Soccer Posts Second Straight Shutout
September 1, 2016
Women's Soccer Shuts Out Albertus Magnus in Season Opener
August 24, 2016
Women's Soccer Picked To Finish Second in CCC