On Sunday, April 6 the second-ranked Jeffs met top-ranked two-time defending NCAA champion Middlebury College in a tough battle for the top seat in women's lacrosse. Going into the game, both teams were undefeated, the Jeffs with a 5-0 overall record and 3-0 in conference play, while the Panthers, 5-0 and 4-0, hoped to continue their 40 game winning streak. After a mere 13 seconds of play, Middlebury was already up 1-0; it was clear that the Jeffs were playing a team unlike any other they had played this season. At the half, the Panthers held a 7-3 lead which, early in the second half, quickly became 11-3. Seven goals later, the end of the game whistle sounded, resulting in a final score of 16-5 in favor of the Panthers, a disheartening loss for the Jeffs.
Brooke Diamond '03 came up with an impressive 19 saves, while juniors Liz Martin and Jackie Sargent each tallied two goals, and Mary Kate Allen '03 one. "Middlebury was a tough game all-round," said Abby Ouimet '03 of the disappointing loss. "It was close at halftime but they broke the game open in the second half." However, the team is less than discouraged by this loss. "This game will definitely affect the rest of our season," continued Ouimet. "We don't want to have to feel like that again after a game. I know this loss will only make us work harder and push us to play every game with the intensity and drive as if it were the most important one."
Head Coach Coach Chris Paradis was equally optimistic. "Middlebury, of course, is excellent, and we certainly wanted to play our best game. We struggled with some basic possession concepts and turned the ball over too much against the number one team in the country" he said. "However, I think the Middlebury loss will force us to regroup and evaluate our strengths and weaknesses. We will focus on moving on quickly and not dwelling too much." With two conference games, this week will be a test of how well the Jeffs are able to bounce back from this loss.
On March 29, the Jeffs opened their home season with a game against 14th-ranked Colby College. Martin and Ouimet led the offense with Martin tallying six goals, and Ouimet pitching in with three goals and seven assists, as the Jeffs took the 17-12 victory.
The Jeffs' early 4-0 lead was soon a 7-7 tie early in the second half after a strong comeback by the White Mules. Soon after, however, Martin scored to regain the lead for Amherst and the Jeffs did not look back.
The rest of the Jeff scoring came from junior attacker Allison Aldrich and Allen, who scored three goals each; first-year attacker Scotty Hanley who picked up a goal and two assists; and Sargent, who notched a goal. Martin also registered a 1.000 shooting percentage, netting an impressive six goals on six shots.
In goal for the Jeffs, senior tri-captain Brooke Diamond made 16 saves for the win, putting the Jeffs at a 3-0 overall record and 1-0 in the conference.
The following day, Sunday, March 30, the Jeffs returned to Hitchcock Field to face Bates College, then 6-1 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Coming up big for the Jeffs again was Martin, who recorded seven goals and two assists. Ouimet tallied two goals and two assists, and senior attack Laura Schifter added a goal and five assists as well. Juniors Becky Castle and Lori Jessup each registered two goals and an assist to contribute to the 19-9 victory. Both Diamond and sophomore Olivia D'Ambrosio split the goal time to turn away eight shots and clinch the Jeffs' win.
"We had a great weekend last weekend against Bates and Colby," said Ouimet as the Jeffs improved their record to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play. "Despite weather [and] field conditions and other uncontrollable elements, we came out hard and played well together."
With enduring momentum, the Jeffs took on 13th-ranked, and then undefeated, Trinity College Wednesday, April 2. Little did the Bantams know that they'd suffer their first loss of the season in Amherst, Mass. Once again the familiar combination of Ouimet and Martin took the main stage. Early in the game, the Bantams gained control with two quick goals. Ouimet and Sargent stepped in to respond with a goal apiece, tying the score at two and giving the Jeffs the control of the game.
In the end, Ouimet, Martin and Sargent netted three goals each, while Ouimet also registered a trio of assists. Aldrich, with a goal and an assist, and Allen with a goal finished off the Jeffs' scoring to end the game with an 11-6 home team victory. "Trinity was a really good team-they were fast and aggressive and came to play … we knew they would be up for our game," commented Ouimet. "We did a great job on defense of slowing them down and stopping a lot of their transition opportunities."
Coach Paradis was very optimistic on the team's improvement over the course of these three first home games. "During the Bates and Colby games, our offense was really on fire and we connected very well with one another as a team," said Paradis. "However, we were not as intense on defense as we needed to be, and this was our focus for Trinity. During this game, we accomplished all of our defensive goals. Trinity was much improved and really challenged us with their physical style of play and well-prepared us for what we were to face against Middlebury."
Because of the snow, yesterday's game at Connecticut College was canceled. Amherst will face Wellesley College on Thursday, and Little III and NESCAC rival Wesleyan University on Saturday. Wesleyan is 2-1 in NESCAC play and 5-2 overall.