The Camels were the first to fall to the Jeffs. On a cold day, Amherst's defense was relentless, allowing only six shots on goal and four penalty corners. McMullin had it easy, finishing the day with three saves and the shutout. While Amherst clearly had control of the game, its offense could not score the needed goal to ease the tension. The two teams went into the half scoreless, but the Jeffs quickly erased any scrap of hope for the Camels as the second half began.
Fired up and optimistic, the Jeffs came out in the second half with a purpose. Conn's goalie, Kate Reardon, played a fantastic game in net as she was forced to turn away shot after shot. Pressure continued to mount as the penalty corners piled up and Amherst relentlessly kept the ball in its offensive half. An exhausted Camel defense finally cracked with nine minutes remaining when Erin Leydon '05 scored the game-winning goal off a crossing pass from Christine Ryan '04 to send the Camels home as losers.
Going from worst to best, Amherst's next opponent was first place Williams College. At 6-1 in the NESCAC, Williams had previously only dropped one game to Bowdoin College in strokes. The Ephs came into Saturday's game expecting a pushover, but the Jeffs' outstanding play and determination put the Ephs in their place. Coming in as the underdogs, Amherst held nothing back.
Amherst came out flying for the opening whistle. Williams, of course, came out just as hard and the table was set for a long day of action packed excitement. "Against Williams we had a few specific strategies to keep the ball away from their key players," said co-captain Molly O'Connor '03 of her team's game plan. The key, she said, was their "emotional energy," which carried the Jeffs for the entire 74 minutes and 35 seconds of play.
The first half was a lot of back and forth play. Clean passing on offense created scoring chances, but solid defensive communication stopped the plays before they materialized. Amherst's midfielders were crucial in keeping the ball out of the defensive zone and creating scoring chances.
The second half was again more of the same hard-nosed play. Both defenses were unyielding, remaining tight even under slippery conditions. Williams had the statistical upper hand with 16 penalty corners on the day to Amherst's seven. Shots were also in favor of Williams by the margin of 13 to 10. Yet, none of the 23 shots would fall in regulation and overtime became the setting for a dramatic finish.
Williams wasted no time giving Amherst parents chest pains as McMullin made a terrific diving save only a minute-and-a-half into overtime. Amherst patiently continued to play their game, knowing its chance would come. "What led to this win was not any specific strategy or sudden spark. It was our consistent hard work and desire to improve throughout the season," co-captain Carlyn Lamia '03 said. Four-and-a-half minutes into overtime, Amherst finally got the break they have been looking for all season. Abby Ouimet '03 sent the ball past two Williams defenders to senior Katherine Ryan, who found herself one-on-one with the goalie. The helpless goalie made a nice initial save, but Ryan took the rebound and sent it to the promise land. The goal sent Amherst's entire bench to meet Ryan in a celebration pile-on for the ages.
"We've been improving over the last few games and weeks and it finally paid off," O'Connor said.
Amherst tries to lock up a spot in the NESCAC Tournament this Saturday at Trinity College. A Jeff victory guarantees them a posteason berth. "We will take the energy and excitement from this win and carry it through to the end, no doubt," Lamia said.