The Jeffs scrambled through a blinding rainstorm to hold on to a slippery season-opening 6-5 win over Mary Washington in a game that proved the depth of the young squad. Three Amherst scorers-Liz Martin '04E, along with seasoned junior Abby Ouimet and classmate Anne Jamieson-found the back of the net through the downpour. Martin, playing in her first game for Amherst since transferring from Goucher College, took the lead for Amherst offensively, scoring four times. Ouimet and Jamieson each added a tally and Allison Aldrich '04 notched an assist.
The other half of the Amherst juggernaut held up under the pressure of a late-game rally from the Mary Washington attackers. Goaltender Brooke Diamond '03 stood her ground, rejecting 11 shots on goal and stifling a last-minute push for a Mary Washington score that would have tied the score in the game's final seconds.
Aldrich took notice of Diamond's solid day in the net. "I'd attribute our win over Mary Washington to Brooke," said Aldrich. "She came up huge in goal with some phenomenal saves."
"We had to overcome some obstacles in both games, such as the weather in the first game," added Ouimet. "But we definitely improved over the week. Mary Washington felt like a first game and things didn't come together as smoothly as we know they can. But we were the better team and we picked it up late in the game." With the loss, the slumping Mary Washington squad fell to 1-2.
The Jeffs left the field with their sights set on the 2-1 host Sea Gulls. "Despite the weather, I think we really came together for the second game," said Aldrich. "And playing in those types of conditions will only help us down the road."
Wednesday's Salisbury game witnessed a 12-6 Amherst win, using the time-tested formula of an unrelenting offense and a strong defense. The Jeffs set the tone early on, posting a six goal lead from which the Sea Gulls would never climb back. Martin introduced herself to her new teammates again, finding the back of the Salisbury net a game-high five times. Middie Jackie Sargent '04 added three tallies of her own to the mix, combining with Martin to extend the Amherst lead to 6-0 early on.
Salisbury ended the Jeff run when Jessica White scored the only Sea Gull mark of the first half 14 minutes into the game. But the Jeff offense went back to work, pounding Sea Gull goalie Dena Glisan with two goals from Erin Beaumont '03, both off of Ouimet dishes, to hoard an 8-1 lead at the halftime break.
Ouimet, who finished with a game-high six assists, noticed a difference between the Mary Washington and Salisbury games. "Salisbury felt a lot smoother and we played more together," she said. "We dominated from the beginning-I think to make up for the Mary Washington game."
Christine Sliger pushed past the Amherst defense to open up the second half with two goals for Salisbury, but the Jeffs silenced any attempts at a Sea Gull comeback with a four-goal torrent, including three more Martin goals, to extend the Amherst lead to 12-3 with just over 11 minutes remaining in the contest. The Salisbury team kept its head up, scoring three times over the last minutes of the game to leave the score at 12-6.
With the loss, the Sea Gulls fell to 2-3. Sliger, meanwhile, had a hallmark day in her collegiate career, becoming the second player in Salisbury history to reach the 200-career point mark with her two-goal, one-assist performance against Amherst.
All told, Ouimet seemed happy with the team's southern swing. "We were able to play two nationally-ranked teams and we really set the pace for a strong season," she said. "It's nice to start the season off playing tough competition, because that will help us to continue to play at a high level regardless of who we play."
The Jeffs will get a chance to stay true to their own high standards when they open up their bid for NESCAC Tournament contention with two road games this week. They will travel to Colby College on Saturday before making the shorter trip to Trinity College a week from today.