The postseason win on Sunday was preceded by a 5-2 victory on Saturday against Trinity College.
Spurred on by enthusiastic Family Weekend crowds and the possible end of the season, Amherst came out with all engines roaring against Colby. "We knew that this win meant a lot for our seniors and for the rest of our postseason," said midfielder Lauren Anderson '05.
The game against Colby was evenly matched and intense from the get-go. The Jeffs had defeated the White Mules in the regular season by a slim margin, 3-2, and Colby was looking for revenge.
Amherst appeared to have scored early in the first half. However, the hit was taken outside the circle, and no Jeff managed to touch the ball before it went into the cage. Thus, the goal was called back.
Led by co-captain Molly Jacobs '04, Alicia Pichard '05, Emma Feinstein '05 and Amy Watson '07, the Jeffs played stellar defense throughout the entire game, holding the White Mules to only two shots in the first half.
Going into the second half, Amherst went on the attack, tallying most of their 13 shots throughout the game. The Jeffs racked up a number of corners before Erin Leydon '05 found the back of the net off of an assist from Katherine Skrivan '06 with 7:13 remaining in regulation. The Jeffs' defense did not allow a single shot on goal by the White Mules, and K.C. Cosentino '05 posted her fourth shutout of the season.
"This weekend was yet another example of our success this season," said Cosentino. "We approach every game as a new challenge and with a new intensity."
The previous day, Amherst finished the regular season with a victory over NESCAC rival Trinity. The Bantams came out strong against the Jeffs, quickly going on the offensive. The tempo of the game shifted in Amherst's favor, however, as the Jeffs began to control the game. By halftime, Amherst possessed a 2-1 lead thanks to Skrivan, who netted a pair of goals off of assists from Tyler Kelly '05 and co-captain Christine Ryan '04.
Going into the second half, the Jeffs were confident and playing skillfully. Trinity knotted the score with an unassisted goal by Jessica Baker, and the Jeffs realized they had to kick it up a notch. With the home crowd cheering them on, Amherst owned the remainder of the game, burying three goals over the course of the final 15 minutes of the contest. The Jeffs' goals came courtesy of the sticks of Anderson, Rachel Carr-Harris '07 and Molly Gilbert '06.
Cosentino registered three saves in the win, and her counterpart, Gwen Gillespie, in the opposite cage managed nine saves in the losing effort. With the victory over Trinity, Amherst secured the fourth seed and a first-round home game in the NESCAC tournament.
Already riding high off of two victories, the Jeffs received more good news. Ryan was named to the Division III North Senior All-Star team. Ryan was one of only four NESCAC players so honored. Ryan leads the Jeffs in points (17), goals (5), assists (7) and shots (29). Essentially, she is where the action is; in fact, she creates it most of the time.
The Jeffs take on Middlebury this weekend, a team they fell to in the regular season. A win would advance them to the the finals, while a loss would finish their season.
"We're all looking forward to meeting Middlebury on their field and avenging our loss," said Cosentino.