The Williams College men’s soccer team picked a pretty good time to get hot. And by winning two games this weekend the Ephs have advanced to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16.

First-half goals by Andrew Coelho and Alex Bethencourt put Williams in front and first-year goalkeeper Aleix Anglada made four saves to help the Ephs beat the University of Scranton 2-1 in Northeastern Pennsylvania Sunday in the second round of the D-III tournament.

The Ephs handed Scranton its first loss of 2025. The Royals are now 13-1-6.

With the win, the Ephs advance to the third round of the tournament for the third time in the past four seasons.

Williams will play St. Olaf (Minn.) in the Sweet 16. St. Olaf beat Luther 1-0 on Sunday. On the other side of the bracket it will be Macalester against Wheaton (Mass.). Macalester beat Wisconsin-Eau Claire 2-1, while Wheaton shut out Middlebury 1-0.

Just who will be hosting has not yet been determined. 

Whoever hosts, two teams will have to fly. Macalester is in Saint Paul, Minn., and St. Olaf is in Northfield, Minn., about 42 miles apart. The distance to Williamstown is 1,262 miles, and the distance to Wheaton’s campus in Norton is almost 1,400 miles.

On Sunday afternoon, that was cart before the horse talk.

Williams, which had four goals from Bethencourt in Saturday’s 4-0 win over La Roche, fell behind early. Preston Rushmore hit a free kick into the box, and James Mayo rose up to head the ball. The ball fell at the feet of Drew Paxson, who scored to put the Royals up 1-0.

Exactly 44 seconds later,  Coelho tied the game when Kellan Grace sent a cross into the box and Coehlo headed the ball past Scranton goalkeeper Charlie Smith.

Williams took the lead at 23:19, when after Scranton’s Paul Flaherty was whistled for a foul, Bethencourt’s free kick from just outside the 18 curled into the top left corner of the goal, putting the Ephs up 2-1.

Anglada, who hadn’t won a 90-minute game since pitching a 1-0 shutout against Bates back on Oct. 4, came up with two big saves late in the second half to preserve the victory.

Williams is now 10-4-4.