On Saturday, Hamilton’s women’s soccer took on Colby College in a heated match under an unusually warm October sun that seemed to energize the players as much as it energized the day. From the starting whistle, the Continentals established the intensity of the game from a distinct internal drive that showed itself in every second of the match. Needless to say, Colby was not prepared for the expertise and intensity of Hamilton’s attack, and the Continentals led a charge and Katie McKillop ’19 scored within the first five minutes of the game. With fifteen minutes left in the first half, a corner kick from Kristin Hughes ’20 was headed in by Katie Tenefrancia ’19.
Prior to Saturday’s match, the Continentals were on a two game winning streak, shutting out Utica and Bowdoin 1–0. Their overall record was 7–4–2 (3–4–2 in NESCAC) and they brought the dominant attitude they have expressed in these seven victories to the pitch on Saturday. What stood out immediately was the precision and power of the Continentals’ offense — strikers Cat Gambino ’21 and Katie Kreider ’18 have three and two goals this season, respectively, and Hamilton sports a 0.517 shots on goal percentage, placing them second in the NESCAC. Saturday’s goals, however, were scored by McKillop, a defender who took a total of seven shots, five of which were on goal, one of which found its way into the netting to win Hamilton a goal; and by Tenefrancia, a midfielder who took 4 shots and 3 on goal.
In the first half especially, the Continentals’ offense was dominant; they possessed the ball almost exclusively for parts of the game, keeping the action on the Colby Mules’ side of the field. Their precise, communicative, and intelligent teamwork, especially evident in their passing, allowed the Continentals to advance the ball persistently and keep the Mules’ tough defense on their toes. Despite their dominant attacks, the women were only able to get two goals through Colby’s defense. Although the Mules were somewhat disorganized and indecisive in their possessions, a few tough defenders did not make it easy for the Continentals to score. By the end of the first half, the match was in a tight gridlock between Hamilton’s steeled attacks and Colby’s iron defense.
From the commencement of the second half, it felt like a new game.
During halftime, both teams took time to analyze and reconsider their strategies. The Mules adopted the Continentals’ aggressive strategy, bouncing back with a newfound resolve from halftime. Possession of the ball jumped back and forth between the teams, but the Mules’ newfound energy only did so much against Hamilton’s superior teamwork and offense. After about five minutes of exchange, the Continentals bounced back with a fierce yet professional counterattack that danced through Colby’s lines of defense and yielded two successive shots on goal, which the Mules’ keeper barely warded off.
In this renewed competition, the Continental’s strengths stood out all the more. Even watching from afar, the women’s teamwork and communication was evident. Their vision of the field allowed the Continentals to advance the ball as a unit rather than as individual players, which seemed to be Colby’s greatest weakness. As the match drifted toward its conclusion, the Continentals shifted their focus from a strong offense to their defense, transferring effort from advancing the ball to stopping the Mules’ advancement. Rather than exerting unnecessary energy into scoring more goals that would not help them, the Continentals maintained a powerful and relentless defense that secured the score of 2–0, led by Cassie Hayward ’19 and Kristin Hughes ’20.
Other key performances included keeper Emily Dumont ’18, who made five saves in Saturday’s match. Dumont leads the NESCAC with seven shutouts as a goalkeeper. Alex Fontana ’20 took two shots, one of which was on goal, and Katja Dunlap ’18 took three shots, two of which were on goal. Overall, the team performed incredibly on both offense and defense, securing them a decisive, though not easy, victory.
On Tuesday, Oct. 24, the Continentals pushed their winning streak to four games and closed out the regular season with 9–4–2 overall record (4–4–2 in the NESCAC). All four of Hamilton’s victories in the streak have been shutouts, and the final victory, over SUNY Oswego, came by a 1–0 margin in overtime. Dunlap scored the game’s only goal at 5:14 of the first overtime off of a deflection, while Dumont made two saves in posting her eighth shutout.
The playoffs begin this Saturday for the Continentals, who obtained the sixth seed in the conference. Hamilton travels to Vermont to take on the third-seeded Middlebury Panthers. The two teams played back on Sept. 17, where the NESCAC rivals played to a 1–1 tie after neither team could get the golden goal in two overtime periods. Saturday’s quarterfinal match-up will be a clash of two conference titans that will surely come down to the wire.
Hamilton women’s soccer has not advanced past the quarterfinal round of the playoffs since joining the NESCAC in 2017. The past two seasons, Hamilton entered the playoffs as the eighth-seed and lost at the hands of top-seeded Williams. Hamilton’s improved regular season performance enabled them to avoid the Ephs this year, who again won the conference regular season title. If they carry their intelligent strategy, dominant offense, and precise teamwork with them into the playoffs, the Continentals have the opportunity to achieve great success in the postseason.
