Last Saturday, Amherst lost to defending champion Norwich Univ. in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a score of 5-0.

While Amherst had dealt Norwich their first shutout in almost 70 games earlier in the season, they came up scoreless against Cadet goalie Kelly Fisk.

Stephanie Invernizzi, Renee Lortie and Julie Fortier each contributed a goal for Norwich, with Jillayne DeBus notching two.

Senior goalkeeper Sinead Murphy served Amherst, posting 21 total saves.

Amherst wraps up their season with a 21-6-1 record (13-2-1 NESCAC), which included big wins against several of the nation’s top 10 Div. III teams and their fifth NCAA appearance.

On the season, Geneva Lloyd ’13 earned first team All-NESCAC honors and was dubbed Player of the Year. Ashley Salerno ’14 and Josie Fisher ’12 each earned second team All-NESCAC for their efforts.

The program graduates six very talented senior players: Murphy, Fisher, Emily Vitale, Stephanie Clegg, Ellen Swiontkowski and Erin Babineau. Together, these seniors have seen three visits to the NCAA Tournament, two national titles and a NESCAC title, among a multitude of statistical achievements and individual accolades.

“Looking back at the season as a whole, we were successful,” Vitale reflected. “Our focus this year was to become one of the best passing teams, and I think we can say we did that. I think the girls learned some valuable lessons that will hopefully help the team to succeed in future years and help to further develop the Amherst hockey program.”