The first Amherst home game of the year began with a good scoring opportunity for Bates. They worked the ball down the field and got a close-range shot on goal. Putnam made the save, but as she pounced on the rebound, the ball trickled away. A Bates attacker got to the loose ball and let go a shot towards the net. Fortunately for Amherst, back Mary Sarro-Waite '05 was waiting to block the shot and clear the ball. "I saw [Putnam] leave the net and instinctively, I backed her up. Someone had to be in the net," Sarro-Waite said.
After this scare, the Jeffs began to apply pressure. After about five minutes of sustained offense, Amherst earned a corner kick. Midfielder Jenny Rossman '04 lofted the ball into the middle. Midfielder Heather Govern '02 got off a shot that was blocked by a Bates defender, but the ball found its way to Tri-captain midfielder Cathy Poor '02. Poor shot the ball into the back of the net, her second goal of the young season.
The Jeffs kept the ball in Bates' end for much of the first half. But what kept the Bobcats in the game was the stellar play of their goaltender, Kim Martell. Soon after the early goal, Govern let loose a sharp angle shot towards the far post. Martell made a full dive to her right to deflect the ball away.
Later on, the Jeffs had a free kick from about 25 yards out. Back Kate Shipley '03 blasted a shot labeled for the top left corner. But Martell leaped for this one as well, deflecting it off the crossbar.
Towards the end of the first half, Bates regained the territorial advantage. However, they were unable to create many quality chances. It seemed as if every time a Bobcat had possession of the ball on the Jeffs' end, two defenders were pushing her towards the sideline. As Sarro-Waite described it, "There was no way Bates was getting through us."
The strong defense made Putnam's job much easier. She made plays throughout the game but was only tested once. Bates forward Amanda Waterhouse fired a shot towards the net that Putnam slid to stop. Putnam would go on to earn a shutout, with six saves. "The first few minutes were a little nerve-wracking," she said. "But after we scored an early goal I was able to settle down a bit. Our defense really stepped up their play, so it eased the pressure quite a bit." Head coach Michelle Morgan called her star midfielder's goaltending "scary at times," but applauded Putnam's leadership and also "a couple of outstanding saves" she made.
The second half was also dominated by Amherst. Their offense began to work with greater efficiency. Short, crisp passes seemed to tire the Bates defense. The passing plays made for plenty of good opportunities, but Amherst could not finish as Martell continued to make saves.
The Jeffs finally broke through for the insurance tally. The ball came to striker Tracy Montigny '05, who found herself with plenty of room. She dribbled towards the box, challenged two defenders, made a quick move to open up a shooting lane, and let loose a rocket from the 18. Martell dove to her left, and appeared to get her fingertips on the ball, but the shot streaked towards the top right corner and ultimately nestled into the goal.
Montigny was excited to score her debut goal in front of the home crowd: "It was great to get my first goal in the first home game of my career," she said. "I can't imagine a nicer way to start off the season." Montigny almost netted her second college goal later in the game but was denied on a breakaway by a diving Martell. The final score of 2-0 marked the Jeffs' second consecutive shutout. "As a team we played an amazing game, one of the prettiest games I've been a part of. I was very proud of how well we played," said Putnam.
The game was preceded by a moment of silence for the victims of last week's attacks on the U.S. The women's soccer team showed their support by donning red, white and blue on their shoes. Coach Morgan later said that playing in the midst of such tragedy "was an emotional struggle for me, but I never let on to the team."
Amherst will play again today, visiting Eastern Connecticut State University.