Against Eastern Conn, the Jeffs started Lauren Coape-Arnold '06 in net, in place of injured co-captain Brooke Diamond '03.
"Lauren stepped up. I wasn't sure if I would play or not. She did a really good job in her first start," Diamond said.
Coape-Arnold made six saves in her college debut against a very physical and aggressive ECSU squad. "Generally we're not a very physical team and they were overly physical at times. We did match their intensity, but did not reciprocate their style of play," said Diamond. "We played well and were happy with our output, but we were unlucky with the result."
The Jeffs had a couple of great scoring opportunities in the second half, but were not able to find the back of the net. After both teams finished regulation without a goal, ECSU sophomore Jen Ferrari beat Coape-Arnold in the ninth minute of overtime to secure the victory.
Diamond thought the defense had another great performance against ECSU, keeping the Jeffs within striking distance throughout the contest. "Defensively we're coming together. Leslie [Curren '05] is filling big shoes, but she's doing a great job. Lyn [Wojcik '06] has been awesome. She plays like an upperclassman. You wouldn't know she's a freshman," Diamond said. "Also, with Katelyn [McCabe '03] moving to defense, it's nice to have some more experience in the backfield."
In their 1-0 win over Bates, the Jeffs found inspiration in the return of sophomore striker Lee-Jay Henry from injury. In her first game back, Henry netted the game winner in the final five minutes of the game.
"Lee-Jay coming back was exactly what we needed. She was the spark that the team really needed to get back to winning games," Curren said. "She was really anxious to get back. Her presence lifted the energy of the rest of the team."
Diamond also returned to the lineup against Bates, notching her third shutout of the season, with six saves. The defense again came to the rescue, stopping countless Bates opportunities.
Curren, Wojcik, McCabe and Mary Sarro-Waite '05 have stepped their games up to the next level in the absence of co-captain Kate Shipley '03. Filling in for Shipley hasn't been easy for Curren. "Obviously it's big shoes to fill and I didn't get a lot of playing time last year," said Curren. "It's hard for the team to lose one of our best players, but we have to step up and fill in wherever we can."
The Jeffs return to the field on Thursday against Springfield College and on Saturday against Bowdoin College. The Springfield game will be a chance to avenge an ugly 3-0 loss last season. "Springfield beat us last year 3-0 and it's an away game. It will be good preparation for our upcoming away games," said Diamond.