The third-ranked Amherst women’s lacrosse team went yet another week with an unscathed record thanks to two wins on the road over Springfield and NESCAC archrival Williams. The Jeffs are now 9-0 in the NESCAC.
Last Thursday, the Jeffs took on Springfield in a matchup that was postponed before Spring Break. Priscilla Tyler ’15 led the Jeffs with four goals in the team’s 8-2 victory. Rachel Passarelli ’16 and Krista Zsitvay ’14 each added two goals of their own to cap off the scoring. Alex Philie ’14 contributed both offensively and defensively with five ground balls, while Christy Forrest ’16 preserved the win in net for the Jeffs with two saves on the day.
Zsitvay opened up the scoring by capitalizing on a breakaway, but Springfield tied the score just a minute later. Tyler then netted two consecutive goals to give the Jeffs a 3-1 advantage going into halftime. Zsitvay, Passarelli and Tyler added their remaining tallies in the second half to contribute to the 8-2 win.
On Saturday in Williamstown, Amherst came away with one of its biggest wins of the season. Despite falling behind 4-1 to start the game, the Jeffs recovered from their biggest deficit of the season thus far and tied the game up 5-5 by halftime. The comeback was due to free position conversions by Tyler at the start and close of the half, back-to-back goals from Zsitvay and an additional Passarelli tally. Tyler would go on to score three more goals, giving her nine goals in the past two games.
“Even though we went down in the beginning, we were never nervous or negative which shows how much we trust each other. I have never been a part of a team that is so smart and composed, and it felt great to be out on the field. I was just in the right place at the right time and was able to put the ball in the net, but it was a team win, and every member participated on and off the field,” Tyler said.
The Ephs temporarily stole the momentum at the start of the second half, scoring just 20 seconds in; nevertheless, this score would be the last goal for the Ephs as well as their last shot on goal in the game. The Jeffs’ defense played flawlessly for the rest of the half, not allowing another shot. At the same time, Amherst amped up the scoring, coming away with eight more goals. Contributors included three more from Tyler, one more apiece from Zsitvay and Passarelli, as well as single tallies from Sarah Spector ’15, Philie and Elizabeth Ludlow ’14. The Jeffs finished the game with a decisive 13-6 victory.
“What’s special about this team is that we are not relying on any one player to carry us. Each game different players step up at key times to make a stop, get a ground ball, or put the ball in the net,” coach Chris Paradis said.
The Jeffs will return to action for their last game of the regular season against Trinity on Wednesday — a huge game as Trinity is currently seated second in the NESCAC, right behind Amherst.
“It’s our team chemistry and respect for each other that has gotten us this far and I am confident that will carry through to our game against Trinity on Wednesday,” Tyler said. “As long as we keep our composure and keep playing for each other, our team will hopefully be playing well into May.”
