By NoontimeSports.com
Courtesy of the Wheaton College sports information department, here’s this afternoon’s release from the women’s lacrosse game against Williams College:
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The Wheaton College women’s lacrosse team saw its second half rally fall short as Williams College held on to defeat the Lyons, 9-6, in the second round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Cole Field.
Wheaton senior co-captain Leila Mills (Brunswick, Maine/Brunswick) recorded three points on two goals and one helper, while sophomore Jenna Tewksbury (Concord, N.H./Concord) netted two tallies, both coming during the final seven minutes of the second half. Senior Hayley Bright (Cumberland, Maine/North Yarmouth Academy) and freshman Hannah Gasperoni (Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet) rounded out the scoring by netting one goal apiece.
Sophomore Alyssa Amos (Bennington, Vt./Mt. Anthony Union) led Williams with a hat-trick and classmate Bridget Malicki (Loudonville, N.Y./The Albany Academies) chipped in with two markers and one assist. Senior Ali Piltch (Bryn Mawr, Pa./Shipley School) turned away nine shots and improved to 14-4 overall between the pipes.
Wheaton junior goalkeeper Katy Ananian (Belmont, Mass./Belmont) finished with 11 saves and concluded her third season with the Blue and White with a 14-7 overall record.
Amos initiated a 7-0 run for the Ephs at 29:43 in the opening session that spanned both halves. Wheaton halted the run with a transition marker by Bright at 24:42 in the second half, which was followed by back-to-back tallies from Mills and Gasperoni at 21:04 and 17:37.
Sophomore Allie Bush (Kennebunk, Maine/Kennebunk) set up her team’s second marker, while Mills located Gasperoni over the middle.
Amos completed her hat-trick roughly two minutes later when the Ephs had an extra attacker, but the Lyons answered with a free position tally from Tewksbury that brought Wheaton within four goals with 6:51 remaining.
Williams scored its final marker of the contest, a tally by freshman Jenna Chodos (Wilmington, DE/Tower Hill School), but the Lyons responded once again with back-to-back goals from Tewksbury and Mills, which were set up by sophomore Madison Cohen (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) and freshman Angela Mallis (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth).
Following Mallis’ final goal with 48-seconds remaining, sophomore Brooke Sabol (Landgrove, Vt./Burr & Burton Academy) attempted to extend her team’s rally with a shot toward the nearside post that sailed wide and went out of play. Williams retained possession and dashed down field for its final clear to seal the win.
The Ephs outshot the Lyons, 26-19, and won 10-of-17 draw controls. Tewksbury, Bright and senior co-captain Devon Soucier (Avon, Conn./Northwest Catholic) each won two draws, while Mills claimed one.
Williams scooped up a game-high 25 ground balls and converted 15-of-17 clears. Wheaton collected 19 ground balls and went 13-for-15 on clear attempts.
Wheaton, which concludes its 2014 campaign at 14-7 overall, dips to 0-2 all-time against Williams. The last time both teams met, the Ephs claimed a 16-5 semifinal victory over the Lyons in the 2001 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament.
Williams (14-4) will continue NCAA Tournament play next Saturday, May 17 against Colby College.
