The women's lacrosse team has some unfinished business, despite a 2001 season that saw them finish in the NCAA Tournament championship game. The end of the 2001 run left Amherst with a laundry list of notables. The Jeffs demolished the single-season win record, leaving a 17-3 mark on the books. They crowned three All-Americans-Alison Kitay '01, Kristin Osborn '01 and Sarah Scheessele '01. Osborn and attacker Abby Ouimet '03-who earned similar All-America honors from 360Lacrosse.com-were the top scorers in NESCAC, with 90 and 76 points, respectively. The 2001 squad was ranked first in the nation by the IWLCA after beating the defending national champion, The College of New Jersey, in an early-season matchup.
Despite all its accomplishments, Amherst has a monkey on its back. Or, more accurately, a Panther. Middlebury College, after beating Amherst to take the NESCAC Championship, came back from a 9-3 halftime deficit to take a decision over the Jeffs, again in overtime, this time in the national championship game. "There's no way to describe the disappointment," said Ouimet. "But, when we play Middlebury this year, it definitely will not be two new teams playing in a new season. There's just too much to get out of our systems and to take out on them."
And from the way the Jeff preseason has been shaping up, it looks like this year's squad will get the last laugh. "Losing three All-Americans to graduation would hurt any team," said Diamond. "But, we're lucky in that we have a number of very talented players who haven't even started to tap into all of their potential."
Co-captain Carrie Foster '02 echoed Diamond. "In the end, I think we might be more successful with a team whose talent is more evenly distributed," she said. This year, the Amherst scoring will come off the sticks of a more scattered offense. Instead of focusing on the juggernaut of Osborn, Scheessele and Ouimet, opponents will have to track down a less predictable scoring threat. Aside from Ouimet, attackers Erin Beaumont '03 and Allison Aldrich '04, along with midfielder Mary Kate Allen '03, will contribute heavily to the Jeff offense. "There are at least five or six players who can score for us on a very consistent basis," said Diamond.
If opponents can manage to stifle the Jeff offense, they will still face a stalwart Amherst defense. Diamond finished third in the NESCAC with a 6.69 goals-against average, and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. She will be backed up by a trio of senior defenders-Foster, co-captain Cara Coscarelli '02 and Robin Ackerman '02. Last year, the defense made its mark nationally, pulling in 10th place in scoring defense at 6.65 goals per game.
The Jeffs will take on the Panthers during their scheduled home opener on April 6. But the Amherst schedule has the women pitted against strong competition throughout the season. The NESCAC will align Amherst with Williams College on April 27 for the last game of the regular season. "Williams is always a strong team," said Ouimet. "They'll play us to a close game. It never matters what our records are or where each team is ranked, because whenever we play Williams there are so many other factors going into the game."
The Amherst squad will begin its 2002 campaign over break at Salisbury State University in Maryland, where they will play Mary Washington College and Salisbury State over the week. They will host Middlebury and Connecticut College after posting a two-game road trip against Colby College and Trinity College. Then, another four-game road trip will end when the Jeffs come back to Amherst to challenge Tufts University and Williams. "Because we've had so much success, we have a bullseye on our backs," said Diamond. "We're the team that others just can't wait to play and to have a chance to knock off."