With Saturday's win over Williams, and consecutive shutout wins over conference foes Trinity and Middlebury Colleges, the Jeffs enter the last week of the regular season with an 11-1 record, poised for another dramatic run through the post-season.
"I'm still riding high," said Ouimet. "It's so great to beat teams like Middlebury and Williams just to prove where we stand in NESCAC. It's also great to play strong competition and come out on top. It only adds to our confidence for post-season play."
Yet, were it not for the scoring heroics of Ouimet, the Middlebury and Williams game might each have had far different outcomes. Against the Panthers, the 1998 NCAA Champions, the Jeffs struggled in the first half, with host Middlebury outshooting the visitors by an 8-1 margin in the first half. The Amherst defense-and goalie Beth Sensing '02-fended off the Panther pressure, however, getting the game to halftime scoreless.
In the second frame, the Amherst offense dominated, as the Jeffs used an 8-0 shot edge to take back the momentum, setting the stage for Ouimet's game-winner, a conversion off a feed from Co-captain Gretchen Bowe '01 midway through the half.
The sophomore had also tallied the game-winner in the Jeffs' first two games against Colby College and M.I.T., before netting the dramatic go-ahead goal in Amherst's pivotal 2-1 win at Springfield College on Sep. 19. She also added the game-winner in the Jeffs' 4-0 win over W.P.I., and had matched a school record by scoring in three straight games entering Saturday's showdown with Williams. Her earlier heroics notwithstanding, it was Ouimet's dramatic goal 3:34 into overtime that will likely stand out as one of the season's lasting highlights.
After Williams had possession for the early stages of the six-on-six extra period, a long clearance found Ouimet at midfield midway through the 74th minute of play.
With the wide open field, the sophomore had one Williams defender to beat. Just outside the penalty circle, a gorgeous spin move back towards the Williams net freed Ouimet from the one Eph defender, setting up a one-on-one with Eph goalie Monelle Quevillon.
The rest is history. The sophomore unleashed a rocket from six yards out, skidding to Quevillon's right and settling in the back of the box with a resounding thud, announcing to the large, pro-Amherst crowd what the Jeffs already knew-they had their revenge over the previously undefeated Ephs.
"Against Williams, I think we came out and just dominated them from the opening whistle," said Co-captain Mairin Brady '02. "Going into overtime felt a lot different this year than it did last year," she continued. "We had the momentum and the will to win. The thought of losing never crossed my mind."
The memory of the 1999 loss was definitely on the mind of Ouimet, however. "I definitely thought of last season and how they scored so early into overtime. I just kept thinking that we can't let that happen this year-we have to monopolize early and not even give them the chance to repeat what happened."
"Beating Williams was huge because it was Williams, and they were undefeated," said Brady. Ouimet agreed.
"The Williams game always seems completely separate from regular season games because the background and rivalry makes for an unpredictable game. It's not a game of records in the sense of who should win," she said.
Still to go for the Jeffs are two games this week-today's home regular-season finale against Tufts University and Saturday's Little III closer at Wesleyan University. With wins in both, the Jeffs can guarantee themselves of no worse than a tie for first in the NESCAC, with the conference tournament set to open Tuesday afternoon.
Brady, however, was quick not to look past this coming week. "Tufts is traditionally a very strong team, very physical as well. In no way, shape or form can we overlook them," she said. "As for Wesleyan, they are a sleeper team, and have scored a lot of goals this year. I'm sure they will be fired up to play us."