The Amherst Women’s Lacrosse team scored 15 goals for the second consecutive game last week, downing Little Three rival Wesleyan, 15-6, on Tuesday. The Jeffs faced a tough loss on Saturday afternoon, however, falling to top-ranked Middlebury, 13-4. No. 10 Amherst is now 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the NESCAC, while No. 3 Middlebury maintains its undefeated streak at 10-0 overall and 7-0 in conference play.
The Jeffs and Panthers shared possessions for the first 15 minutes on Saturday afternoon as the teams combined for 12 turnovers, but Middlebury held the upper hand with two goals from sophomore Katie Ritter. Margaret Souther ’13 added another for the Panthers to make it 3-0 with just over nine minutes left to play, and classmate Michaela Colbert cushioned the lead with two goals in 23 seconds for a five-goal lead at the six minute mark.
Co-captain Marta Randall ’13 opened scoring for the Jeffs two minutes later, dodging defenders and driving hard to the net for her first goal of the game. Her second score came with 52 seconds left in the half on a free position shot, bringing the Jeffs within three heading into halftime.
The Panthers kept up momentum in the second half, however, scoring just 36 seconds into the period. The unassisted goal from first-year Lauren Pascal sparked a five-goal run for Middlebury with five different players scoring. Senior Emma Kramer notched a goal and two assists in the run, scoring on a give-and-go with Ellen Halle ’13 for the team’s ninth marker. Halle added her own a minute later to give Middlebury at 10-2 lead with 16 minutes left to play.
Alex Philie ’14 ended the Panthers’ scoring streak with a free position goal at 10:58, but the home team added another three goals in 59 seconds to make it a ten-goal differential. Elizabeth Ludlow ’14 closed out scoring for the Jeffs with 2:13 remaining, as Middlebury walked away with the 13-4 victory at the buzzer.
Christy Forrest ’16 had another impressive game in goal with 12 saves for the Jeffs, but Middlebury’s 31-12 shot advantage made the difference for the Panthers, who remain at the top of the NESCAC standings.
The Jeffs saw a better result last Tuesday, as Priscilla Tyler ’15 led the way with eight goals in the team’s 15-6 victory over Wesleyan. Co-captain Hilary Densen ’13 added a goal and a personal-best six assists, while Philie followed with two goals and one helper.
Amherst controlled the game from the start, scoring eight unanswered goals in the first 19 minutes of play. Tyler had a hat trick and Philie notched her pair of goals in the run, while Densen racked up a goal and four assists. Sophomore Meghan Mills and Randall each added one to give the Jeffs an 8-0 lead with 11:37 remaining in the first half.
The Cardinals responded three minutes later with their best offense of the game, netting three goals in just 39 seconds. Tyler ended the scoring outburst with help from Randall to make it 9-3, but Wesleyan had the last word on a free-position goal at 2:59. With four goals from Tyler in the first half, the Jeffs headed into intermission with a 9-4 lead.
Densen and Tyler fired back in the opening minutes of the second half, with Densen assisting Tyler on two goals in the first 10 minutes. Caroline Holliday ’14 added an unassisted score eight minutes later before Tyler notched back-to-back scores to cap off her eight-goal performance. Wesleyan fought back with two goals from senior Kaylin Berger, but first-year Devin O’Connor put the finishing touch on the victory for Amherst with a free-position goal at the one-minute mark.
The Jeffs held a 29-18 shot advantage over the Cardinals, scoring on more than half of their attempted shots. Katelyn Salerno ’16 made one save in net for Amherst during the first half, while Forrest stopped seven shots in the final 30 minutes to anchor the Jeff defense.
Ranked third in the NESCAC for scoring, Tyler now leads the team with 25 points on 24 goals and one assist, while Densen follows close behind with nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points.
Amherst is back on the road this evening with a match-up against Conn. College at 7:30 p.m. The Jeffs will continue their road trip this weekend, facing off against Tufts on Saturday at noon.
