On Saturday, Sept. 23, the Colby men’s soccer team, women’s soccer team, and field hockey team all traveled to play games against Williams College.
The Colby men’s soccer team faced one of the best teams in the NESCAC conference. Williams currently holds the top spot in the league with an unbeaten record. The Mules are closely following behind, with a 2-point gap tied for fourth place.
While Colby has a notoriously poor record against Williams, losing 16 of their 22 previous games, the Mules hoped to turn their fortunes around with a win on Saturday.
The first half of the game had minimal action to speak of. The match was in stalemate as the midfield continuously exchanged possession in what was a very physical game. Both teams elected to play the long ball instead of passing short. In part due to each other’s elite defenses, which have both not conceded a goal all season. Viewers could easily note the excellent defense of both teams throughout the game, particularly in the first half. While the second half did provide a few opportunities for both teams, the game ended in a 0-0 tie. On the field next to the men’s soccer game, the women’s soccer team headed into an important match in which they hoped to pick up their first win of the season.
The match started unfavorably for the Mules as Williams started strong by maintaining control of the game. The Mules responded by vigorously defending against Williams’attacks. Thanks to this defending, Colby scrapped by, only conceding one goal heading into the second half.
Aided by the first-half defensive performance, Colby slowly eased into the game. With Williams struggling to maintain their performance from the first half, the game saw possession moving back and forth. The 72nd minute saw Colby have its most significant chance of a comeback with a shot coming off the inside post, only to be denied by a last-minute clearance. This would be the last chance that Colby saw to equalize the score. The game concluded with a 4-0 loss for the Mules.
After beating the University of Maine-Farmington in a 12-0 win, the Colby women’s field hockey team hoped to continue their form against the William Ephs. Unfortunately, Colby started the game in disaster, conceding two goals in the span of four minutes. Williams, considered to be one of the best offensive teams in the division, continued its onslaught of shots and goals throughout the game, leaving the Mules to relentlessly defend. The only goal scored by Colby came in the form of Charlotte Epker `24, who scored her first goal of the season. By the end of the game, Williams saw a total of 31 shots with 20 on target relative to Colby’s six in total and two on target. The game ended with an 8-1 loss to Williams.
~ Darin Gildea `27
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