WILLIAMSTOWN, MA  11/17/13 – The memorable season of the Keene State College women's soccer team came to end on Sunday with a hard-fought 3-0 loss to Williams College in the second-round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Cole Field in Williamstown, Mass.

The Owls, who were making their first NCAA tournament trip in nine years, conclude their season with an 18-5-1 record.  The Ephs (14-3-2) advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

"I thought after the effort they gave yesterday there was going to be nothing left in the tank, but we played really well,' said KSC Coach Denise Lyons. "Williams is a very strong team, but we played with them and worked hard right up to the end. With two minutes to go the team was still pushing as if it was 1-0.  I'm just so proud of them.  The never gave up." 

"We played together as a unit and held our own," said Kara Pavlidis, one of eight KSC seniors playing in their final game. "We really played with our heart and gave everything we had today."

The Ephs got on the board early with a beautiful finish by Carla Nicasio.  Alex McInturf was near the center of the field a few yards outside the box.  She sent a perfect pass to Nicasio, who tapped the ball once to beat the defender and placed the ball beautifully into the bottom right corner of the net.

The Owls tried to respond just minutes later as senior Jessica Berthiaume made a pretty move at the top right corner of the box and passed inside to freshman Brittany Tolla.  Tolla tried to pass the ball to herself in the middle of the box, but the Eph defense was able to break up the play before she could get a shot off.

The Ephs continued to push on the attacking end. With twelve minutes to play, Alison Magruder picked up a through ball and carried it into the box. She crossed it into the center just off the goal line, but Owl junior keeper Torrie Crenson managed to break up the play before Hana Tomozawa was able to get there for the Ephs.

However, Magruder did not let up, and she scored with 7:10 left in the first half.  Lilly Wellenbach cleared the ball from the Ephs' defensive end.  It went off of a defender's foot in the midfield and flew ahead to Magruder, who was ahead by herself for the Ephs. With the defender on her back, she carried the ball to the middle of the box near the left post and made a move around the goalie before putting the ball in the back of the net.

The Owls came out of the break gunning for a goal. Four minutes into the second half, the Owls were awarded a free kick just outside the right side of the box. Senior Kristen Huckins flew the kick inside to junior Beverly Cole, who managed to get a piece of the ball, but her opportunity was just wide.

The Ephs, however, struck first in the second half in the 55th minute. Nicasio carried into the box and stopped just before the end-line.  She crossed the ball from the left post into the center, where Audrey Thomas chipped the ball into the net.

Keene refused to give up and had its best look of the game after play restarted. Barthiaume beat two defenders just inside the box and had an open path to goal. She fired on net, but Eph keeper Hannah Van Wetter made a stellar save to knock the ball down. Van Wetter quickly jumped on the ball to thwart any rebound opportunities.

The Owls continued to push, but Van Wetter stepped up to the challenge.  Shannon Summers and Tolla had a pretty give-and-go that resulted in an open shot for Summers.  Van Wetter confidently held her post and made the save to keep the Ephs up 3-0. "We didn't get many chances, so we had to capitalize and finish and we didn't do that," said Lyons.

The Ephs also continued to push on the attacking end. With thirteen minutes to play, Katie Wardlaw found herself alone at the top of the box. Her shot curved perfectly on net, but Keene keeper Danielle Warhall, who came into the game after Crenson was injured, made a fantastic diving save and changed the path with her outstretched hand. Neither team broke through the other's defense for the rest of the half.

The Ephs outshot Keene 12-10.  Van Wetter turned away four shots for the Ephs.  Crenson saved three shots for the Owls, while Warhall recorded four saves on five opportunities.

"I was sad once the final whistle blew, knowing that it was my last game and I'm sure the rest of the seniors felt the same way," said senior captain Hayley Kenyon. "I'm very proud of everyone.  We kept reaching our goals and setting new ones. It was a fantastic way to end my senior year."  

The feeling was definitely bittersweet after the game," said Pavlidis.  "As a senior we didn't want to stop playing.  We love playing at here at Keene State, but at the same time it couldn't have been a better season for us.  I'm just so proud of all of us."