The two wins not only completed a three-game sweep for the week, but also worked to re-establish the team's confidence-confidence that may have been shaken by the opening day 0-1 loss to Colby College.
"Last week helped a lot," revealed Molly O'Connor '03. "Especially beating Springfield, which was the best team we've played all season. Colby is out of our minds, and we're excited to move on."
Though every player on the roster has contributed in some way to the recent victories, the outstanding leadership and play of Tri-captain Marcy Busch '02, Tri-captain Mairin Brady '02, Abigail Ouimet '03, Christine Ryan '04, and others has set the tone for what is sure to be another competitive season.
The Jeffs got on top of WPI only four minutes into the game when sophomore standout Ryan fed Ouimet in front of the goal. Ouimet would prove to be no stranger to this role, finding the back of the net twice more to notch her third, fourth and team-leading fifth goals of the season. The second goal came four minutes later just 8:26 into the game, when Brady found Ryan open in front for her third goal of the year. Ryan would return the favor almost exactly 10 minutes later, when Brady knocked in the sophomore's pass to push the score to 3-0 in favor of the Jeffs. The assist was Ryan's fourth on the year and Brady's first goal to go along with her two assists.
Before the end of the half the offensive juggernaut would keep rolling, tallying four more goals before the half time horn would sound. Ouimet struck again for her third and fourth, Busch would grab her third, which was followed by Jenna Obelsky's '03 first mark of the season to end the period.
Brady praised Ouimet. "She's really blossomed as a player," said Brady. "She's completely dominating this year, and it seems like she can score at will. It's a great spark for our team to know that we can give [Ouimet] the ball, and she'll do something good with it." O'Connor agreed with Brady, adding, "I've been playing with [Ouimet] for two years, and she's improved a lot. She's worked really hard, and now she is phenomenal."
Amherst's first half dominance allowed a number of first and second year players extended time on the field in the final frame. The youngsters rose to the occasion and added three goals of their own to set the final score at 10-0. The previous record for goals scored in a game was seven, last accomplished in 1993, a 7-3 victory over Western New England College.
"Our younger players went out there and really kept up the tempo," said Ouimet. "Even though the score was 7-0, they played like it was tied. This is the deepest squad I've seen here, and if we keep attracting freshmen that play at this level, we're looking at a dynasty."
First to find the net after the break was Tyler Kelly '05, pushing it in with 20:15 seconds left to go. Kennon Kay '05 would follow suit just seven minutes later with her first Amherst goal. Rachel Tranter '05 ended the scoring for the day with a goal, with just under a minute and a half to play.
Amherst goalies Beth Sensing '02 and Katherine Cosentino '05 had an easy day in the net, not facing a WPI shot even once, a tribute to the efforts of the Amherst defense. Conversely, WPI weathered a 24-shot barrage.
Next up for the Jeffs were the Camels of Conn College, the third NESCAC opponent of the season. It was truly a team effort Saturday morning as four different Amherst players notched goals to lift the Jeffs past their fourth straight opponent.
Midfielder Katherine Ryan '03 opened the scoring ten minutes in with her first tally of the year. She then assisted on Ouimet's fifth goal of the season with 12:10 to go before the half. After the intermission Amherst picked up right where they left off, as Busch took the pass from Brady and put the Jeffs up 3-0 with 33:37 on the clock. That half hour would not go to waste, as Robin Ackerman '02 connected for her second of the year (Obelsky had the assist for the fourth and final goal of the morning). Amherst goaltender Sensing stopped all five shots she faced in her second shutout of the year, the teams third in as many games.
This Thursday the now 4-1 Jeffs travel to non-league crosstown foe Mount Holyoke College, the game is slated for a 4:30 start time. "Mount Holyoke is going to be tough," said Brady. "They're a scrappy team, and they would love to knock us off and get some attention on the national scene."
Following the Mount Holyoke game, the Jeffs will host Bowdoin College on Saturday morning. Brady, whose younger sister is a first-year player for the Polar Bears, said that the Bowdoin matchup "means a lot in terms of the NESCAC standings. Right now, the conference is pretty wide open. No team is obviously dominant right now, and this will be a huge game for us."