The third consecutive shutout posted by goalkeeper Piper Crowell '07 and a swarming backfield moved the Lord Jeffs into third place in the NESCAC at 5-3-1 (9-3-1 overall), one game out of a two-way tie for first. Amherst must beat Trinity College this weekend in order to ensure a home-field advantage in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament.
Harmeling's 14th goal of the season came during the 74th minute to break a hard-fought stalemate. The NESCAC's leading scorer took a return pass from midfielder Sarah Coleman '06 at the 20-yard line and sent a well-placed rocket across her body and into the upper right corner of the net.
"It was a big-time goal," said Co-Head Coach Andrew Jones '00. "Ashley's been making plays all season and made another one at a crucial time for us on Saturday."
Harmeling's goal was the only one in a game that saw very few quality scoring opportunities. Although Williams outshot Amherst 17-7, the Lord Jeffs had six quality shots to the Ephs' four, thanks to an aggressive Amherst backfield.
"Defensively, we played a solid game and really earned the shutout by stepping hard to the ball and preventing a lot of potentially dangerous opportunities early on," observed Crowell, who made four saves in her fourth shutout of the season.
As it has all season long, Amherst's backfield rose to the occasion, led by Crowell and defensive cogs Elizabeth Foley '07 and Margaret Chute '06.
"Especially at the end of the game, when Williams was retaliating with force, the defense held strong," noted Harmeling. "Liz Foley could not have played better. Liz's improvement throughout this season has been tremendous. Margaret Chute was another standout on defense. Her energy and tenacity frustrated the Williams attackers the entire 90 minutes."
The victory, which secured the Little Three Championship over Williams and Wesleyan University, was Amherst's most important road win of the season. After performing poorly on an initial five-game road trip, the Jeffs have won five games straight and seven of their last eight, and have performed noticeably better at home. They upset then 23rd-ranked Bowdoin College and then 20th-ranked Middlebury College at Amherst, while struggling to defeat lesser opponents, Colby and Mount Holyoke Colleges, on the road during that span.
"We proved to ourselves that we can fight just as hard on the road as we can on our home field," said Harmeling of the win over Williams.
With one week left in the regular season, Amherst's attention is focused solely on Trinity, which is currently tied with Williams for fourth place in the NESCAC.
"Trinity will be a tough, critical game," said tri-captain midfielder Sara Elkins '04. "If we want a chance to host the NESCAC Tournament or at least play at home in the first round, we need to win."
The top seed in the NESCAC tournament receives a first round bye and the role of host in the seven-team tournament, while the second, third and fourth seeds receive home-field advantage for the tourney openers.
Although hosting the tournament would require a bit of luck, the Jeffs control their own destiny in terms of securing a first-round home game. If Amherst beats Trinity, it will finish no worse than second in the NESCAC and may even finish first if Bates and Bowdoin tie on Saturday. If it loses to Trinity, and Williams beats a Wesleyan squad that is 0-8 in conference play, Amherst will finish fifth in the NESCAC and open the tournament on the road.
Coming off a huge victory with the playoffs in sight, great potential for distraction exists on the Amherst sidelines. Coach Jones, however, makes sure that the Jeffs give little thought to the past successes, the dizzying array of possible playoff formats or the face of Amherst's next opponent. "Beating Williams is always enjoyable; it won't mean anything when we step on the field Saturday," he said. "Our focus isn't so much on our next opponent as it is on what we need to do on a daily basis in practice. We've been getting better through hard work, and that is our goal for this week. There is always room for improvement."