The women’s lacrosse team opened their season with a hard-fought loss to Colby but followed it up with an overtime victory over Bates.
The team posted a 9-6 record last season and enter this year ranked 16th by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. They return eight of 11 starters and five of last season’s top six scorers. The Jeffs welcome nine first-years this season, which should add depth to the squad.
Seniors Allie Horwitz, Meredith LaRose, Lamia Harik, Claire Bennett and Meaghan Tigh will lead a young team, as 15 of 23 squad members are underclassmen. Junior Marta Randall, who was named second-team All-American last year, returns to lead the Jeff offense. She led the Jeffs with 42 points last season (32 goals, four assists), while Horwitz, who was first team All-Region, added 27 points (21 goals, six assists) to tie for second.
Midfielders LaRose, Annelies O’Dea ’14 and Wyatt Davis ’13 will be important contributors on both ends of the field. LaRose, a first-team All-Region and second team All-NESCAC selection, was second last season for ground balls (31) and caused turnovers (18). O’Dea tied with Horwitz for second in total points with 19 goals and eight assists. She was named to the second team All-Region.
Alex Philie ’14, who was first-team All-Region, led the Jeff defense last year with team-highs in both ground balls (35) and caused turnovers (19). Bennett, who ranked third in ground balls (30) and caused turnovers (17), and Tigh, the team’s Most Improved Player, will bolster the defense. The Jeffs ranked third in the NESCAC with a goals-against average of 7.35. Goaltender Harik returns after posting a 7.76 goals-against average over 11 games.
The Jeffs lost to Colby 7-6 in their season opener on Saturday. Philie opened the scoring with an unassisted goal three minutes in. Meghan Mills ’15 scored following a goal from Colby, putting the Jeffs ahead 2-1. The Mules surged in the middle of the first half, scoring four straight goals in a span of six minutes. They set the score at 5-2 with 9:41 to play in the frame.
The Jeffs were able to shrink the deficit to 5-4 by the end of the first half. O’Dea assisted Caroline Holliday ’14 with 8:28 to play, and Elizabeth Ludlow scored with just under two minutes remaining.
The Jeffs carried their momentum into the second half, as Holliday posted another goal at the 25:41 mark off an assist from Davis.
Randall put the Jeffs in the lead with a free position shot with 23:45 to play. The game was scoreless until the 9:20 mark, when the Mules tied the score at 6-6. The winning goal came with just five seconds left to play. Colby stole the ball with 30 seconds left in the game and found an open player in front of the goal for a low shot that bounced past Harik. Harik had nine saves, five of which were made in the second half.
The Jeffs followed this tough loss with an 11-9 overtime victory over Bates on Sunday, coming back from a three-goal deficit with just over five minutes left to play.
Bates came out with all guns blazing for a 5-1 lead with eight minutes left in the first half. Ludlow put the Jeffs on the board with the second goal of the game, but the Bobcats posted four unanswered shots in return. Horwtiz broke Bates’ momentum at the 3:35 mark, taking advantage of a man-up situation after a Bates yellow card. Holliday scored less than a minute later to bring the Jeffs back within two points at the half.
The teams traded goals until the 21:29 mark in the second half. Horwitz posted two more goals and Randall added a third, putting the Jeffs behind 7-6. The Bobcats widened their lead with a pair of goals, but Amherst held them scoreless from the 14:24 mark onwards.
With 5:06 to play, Horwitz scored again. Randall followed up with two more goals, tying the game at 9 with 2:45 left in regulation. The Jeffs continued their five-goal run in overtime, with Horwitz and Holliday each posting a goal to secure the win.
Horwitz finished the day with five goals, while Randall scored three.
The Jeffs won 14 of 24 draws, including five of the last six, which allowed them to amp up the offensive pressure at the end of the game. Bates outshot Amherst 22-20, but the Jeffs were 4-7 in free-position shots, whereas the Bobcats were 2-4.
The Jeffs return to the field next Saturday when they play Bowdoin in their home opener.
