On May 6, however, the Panthers proved too much for the Jeffs, and the final score stood at 9-6 in favor of Middlebury. The win granted Middlebury the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament from the NESCAC; however, the Jeffs received one of two at-large bids to the NCAAs, and the two teams' paths would cross again, this time in the national championship game.
On May 12, in the NCAA Regional Tournament, the Jeff offense put on a display, scoring a season-high 20 goals against Wellesley College to take the Jeffs to a resounding 20-10 win and the regional final game. Co-captain Kristin Osborn '01 played true to form, notching five goals. Coupled with a matching five goals from Abby Ouimet '03, together with three goals from Sarah Scheessele '01, two from Mary Kate Allen '03 and Meg Martin '02 and one each from Erin Beaumont '03 and Meg Hely '02, the Jeffs opened up scoring margins as steep as 18-3 and 19-4 before a late surge by Wellesley. The next day, the Jeffs hosted Ithaca College. This time for the Jeffs, the defense stepped it up, holding Ithaca to six goals, while the offense stayed strong with 13 tallies. With the win, the Jeffs headed to the Final Four at Johns Hopkins University. The Jeffs took on TCNJ again in the Saturday semifinal game, while on the other side of the bracket, Middlebury was also slated to head to Baltimore, where they faced Mary Washington College.
On May 19, the Jeffs took the field against the Lions and, with a game-tying goal from Ouimet with only seconds left in regulation and the game-winner 1:56 into the first overtime from Scheessele, left the field with the promise to play again the next day. TCNJ finished its season at an impressive 12-2, with both the season-opening and season-ending blights coming at the hands of the Jeffs. On the other side of the bracket, Middlebury cruised through Mary Washington, placing the Panthers alongside the Jeffs in what would turn out to be a rematch of the 1999 title game. Two years ago, the Panthers grabbed the gold away from the Jeffs with a hard-fought 10-9 win.
This year would not be much different.
After falling into a two-goal hole early in the game, the Jeffs modified their offensive strategy to counteract the stringent Panther defense. Head Coach Chris Paradis' decision paid off, as evidenced by a Scheessele goal coming off an Allen assist 21:11 into the game. The next 12 minutes of play brought the score to 3-2 in favor of Amherst. Scoring eight of the half's last nine goals, the Jeffs took a seemingly insurmountable 8-3 lead into the halftime break.
But Middlebury's offense shook itself off in the beginning of the second half, following another Osborn goal. The Panther transition game came to life, and threw four goals past the Amherst defense to quickly cut the Jeff lead to 9-7. The Panthers had found their momentum, and a goal at the 4:46 mark would tie the game at 10.
The last minutes of the half were marked by desperate scoring attempts from both teams. The Jeffs were not able to find the back of the net, despite a tantalizingly close shot from Beaumont that flew just wide at 3:25. In the Amherst net, Brooke Diamond '03 stopped a clutch shot with 11 seconds left, forcing overtime.
In overtime, Middlebury scored in the first 24 seconds, taking the lead. The Jeffs manufactured several legitimate scoring opportunities, but were unable to capitalize. A shot at 1:31 from Scheessele went just wide, and Middlebury held on for the dramatic 11-10 win.
Middlebury ended its season with a perfect 17-0 record, fending off Amherst in the national championship game for the second time in three years. Amherst, meanwhile, posted a 17-3 record, with all three losses to the Panthers. Diamond was named to the All-Tournament team along with Osborn and Ouimet. In addition, Ouimet was given second team All-NESCAC accolades. Osborn, Scheessele and co-captain Alison Kitay '01 were named Brine Division III All-Americans by the IWLCA on Tuesday.
The Class of 2001 has been a remarkable credit to Amherst athletics. Together, Osborn, Kitay, Scheessele and Jess Thaxton '01 have amassed a four-year 54-10 record.