After receiving an unexpected birth into the NCAA tournament early last week, Amherst women’s soccer focused on sharpening their attack in preparation for first round opponent, NYU. In Saturday’s game, the Jeffs found the back of the net in each half, advancing with a 2-0 win over NYU.
Despite a 10-save effort from junior goalkeeper, Holly Burwick, Amherst (11-3-0) fell to NESCAC rival Connecticut College (11-2-0). A goal by Annie Higgins in the 53rd minute was just enough to boost the Camels to victory.
Although both teams failed to convert in the first half, Conn. owned the shot advantage, edging the Jeffs 9-7. The Camels broke the scoring drought early in the second half when Annie Higgins corralled a through ball from Michelle Medina and delivered a shot into the left corner for what would be the only goal of the game.
After clinching conference wins over Colby and Wesleyan in the past two weeks, the Amherst women’s soccer team worked their way to the top of the NESCAC, tying archrival Williams for the first place standing. Ranked 15th in nation, the Jeffs have won three of their last four games. Amherst saw their second loss of the year come from the Warriors of Eastern Connecticut State University (9-5-1) just before fall break. Although ECSU snapped a six-game win streak for the Jeffs, the resilient Purple and White responded by capturing three straight victories.
The unpleasant downpour at Hitchcock Field was not enough to keep the women’s soccer team from shining brightly in Saturday’s contest against Hamilton. Emily Hester ‘17 tallied her second and third goals on the year, while Quinn Philips ’17 added one more to power the Jeffs to a decisive 3-0 victory against their conference opponent. The Purple and White entered Saturday’s matchup ranked 11th in the NSCAA Coaches poll and tied with Bowdoin for first in NESCAC standings.
The Amherst women’s soccer team upped its win streak to five as it captured two more victories over the weekend. After jumping to the No. 18 spot in the NCAA Coach’s Poll following last week’s undefeated weekend, the Jeffs rolled into the weekend ready to continue their success. In the first of the doubleheader, Amherst (7-1-0, 4-1-0) defeated Tufts (6-1-0, 3-1-0) who had entered Saturday’s contest as the top-ranked team in the NESCAC.
The Amherst women’s soccer team (5-1-1) capped off an impressive week with a pair of wins in their weekend double header. On Wednesday, the Jeffs topped undefeated Springfield College (3-1-1) for a 1-0 road victory. First-year and third leading scorer in the NESCAC Hannah Guzzi proved her dominance in the front field yet again. After a scoreless first half, Amherst ended the drought in the 69th minute on a Guzzi goal. Megan Kim ’16 recorded the assist.
In the team’s home opener last Wednesday, Amherst women’s soccer (2-1-0) sailed to a 6-0 victory over Mount Holyoke (1-3-0). Entering the week ranked 20th in the country, the Jeffs came out firing, wasting no time to find their way onto the scoreboard.
Just nine minutes into action, senior co-captain Mel Stier crossed the ball from the left side of the box to connect with junior Rachael Abernethy. Abernethy headed the ball into the net to push Amherst ahead. From there, Amherst never looked back.
