Up three goals in the second half, the Jeffs let in a stream of breakaways and unassisted Cardinal goals to knot the game with 20 minutes left on the clock.
Wesleyan's unrelenting defense slowed down the Jeffs' typical attack, as the Cardinals double- and even triple-teamed forwards Ashley Harmeling '05, Scotty Hanley '06 and Alyssa Briody '07.
This stifling defense of slides and close-guarding pressured the Amherst attack to feed the ball with frozen ropes and pinpoint accuracy. A few plays drawing out the defense allowed the forwards to take their defenders one-on-one. Briody, Harmeling and Hanley all had exceptional unassisted goals using quick dodges and fakes on the goalie, once again giving the lead to the Jeffs, and bringing the score to 12-10 with 3:27 remaining.
Even with such a tight score, the Jeffs remained confident. "The score always stayed close, and no one on our team ever believed for a second that we might lose," said senior co-captain goalkeeper Liv D'Ambrosio. "When the games are tight, we are more than confident because we just know we're going to pull it out."
Wesleyan managed to score once more with 26 seconds remaining, but Amherst controlled the next draw and burned off what time was left to seal the victory.
Briody and Harmeling tallied four goals and one assist each. Cate Smith '05, Hanley, Caitie Parker '06 and Liz Wise '07 each had a goal of their own. Back on defense, D'Ambrosio made 10 saves, including a few notable one-on-ones. Junior defender Laura Brown also helped ward off the Cardinals' attack while facilitating the midfield transition with five forced turnovers and four ground balls.
Thursday afternoon's Connecticut College contest also stayed close until the second half. In the final stanza, the Jeffs blasted ahead with 10 goals to finish with a score of 15-8.
Despite the slow start, a time-out in the second half from Head Coach Chris Paradis once again gave Amherst the boost it needed to jump ahead and end the game with a comfortable seven-goal margin of victory.
Briody was the top scorer with five goals and two assists, while Smith had three goals and Harmeling and Hanley had two each. Harmeling also led the team with five assists. Wise, Lauren Dudley '07 and Maddie Hoeg '08 each had one tally on the day. Briody's efforts on the week earned her NESCAC Player of the Week honors, the third week in a row a Jeff has garnered the award.
The Jeffs remain undefeated with a 7-0 record and enough confidence to take on any team in the country, including the second-ranked Middlebury College Panthers. While the Panthers lost several key starters to graduation, and fell to the Salisbury University Sea Gulls early on this season, Amherst expects a titanic struggle to take place on Saturday in Vermont. The game will help the Jeffs gauge their NCAA Tournament preparation.
Amherst can't look ahead to Middlebury yet, as Hitchcock Field will host Bates College today at 4:30 p.m.