If the Amherst women's soccer team has nine lives, apparently they have only used eight of them. After what, for all intents and purposes, was thought of as a season-ending loss to Williams College in the NESCAC quarterfinals last Tuesday, the Jeffs have another chance to keep their season going this afternoon, when they face Springfield

College in the opening round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament.

Part of the confusion stems from debate over the terms of the April 1998 NESCAC policy changes. Simultaneous with the inception of new conference championships, which debut this year in 12 different sports, including men's and women's soccer and field hockey, was supposed to be a move to prohibit NESCAC teams from accepting ECAC bids.

Yet, this year's women's soccer and field hockey ECAC tournament fields, released on Monday, feature six different NESCAC teams, three in each of the two eight-team draws.

Though it will be up to the policy-makers to sort out the apparent conflict, all that matters for the Jeffs is that their season, supposedly concluded eight days ago, has, for the moment, a second life, this afternoon's 1:00 p.m. ECAC quarterfinal against Springfield College on Hitchcock Field.

"We're all really excited," said Co-captain Meg Riley '01. "It's sort of a shock to have a second chance after thinking our season was over for two days. We want to go out on a high note."

If the Jeffs advance, they face the winner of the quarterfinal between the eighth-seeded University of Southern Maine and top-seeded Wellesley College in Saturday's semifinals.