After a 1-1 tie at non-conference foe Eastern Connecticut State University, the Jeffs rebounded to win 3-2 against Bates College before rounding the week out with a 2-0 victory over local rival Springfield College yesterday.
On Wednesday, the Lord Jeffs traveled to Willimantic, Conn. to take on Eastern Connecticut State. Amherst came out slow, as the Wildcat Caitlin Buzzell needed just four minutes to find the net. The Jeffs responded with persistent offensive pressure but trailed 1-0 at the break, as unable to sneak anything past goalie Megan Gloster.
Amherst continued its unyielding attack in the second half but still could not manage to score as the game wound down to the final minutes. The offensive heat paid off in the 88th minute, though, as senior defender Margaret Chute took a pass from position Jenny Muller '07 and blasted it past Gloster to ensure the tie.
"We dominated that game and should not have tied them," said junior forward Amy Armstong, expressing the team's disappointment in the tie. "We had many more shots than they had and were much more skilled." Indeed, Amherst out-shot the Wildcats by a margin of 24-8-including a remarkable 16 shots on goal-compared to just four for their opponents.
Having escaped the nail-biter, the Jeffs took their frustration with them as they visited Bates College (1-1, 0-1 NESCAC) on Saturday for a conference showdown. Rookie forward Stephanie Yesnik got the scoring started, putting the Jeffs on the board in the 21st minute off of a feed from Armstrong.
"Amy has been playing great up front and was a big contributor this weekend," said senior co-captain position Lyn Wojcik.
The Jeffs' lead held through the remainder of the half, but the Bobcats came out firing in the second half, and evened the score on a goal by Meg Coffin at the 55 minute mark.
The tie wouldn't last long though, as the Jeffs' overpowering offense emerged to put a pair on the board quickly. After Armstrong tallied her second goal of the year off on a feed from Heather Nowak '08, Armstrong returned the favor by finding Nowak for a goal just four minutes later.
Bates would score again with fifteen minutes left to play to make the score 3-2, but Jeffs' junior goalkeeper Piper Crowell would not allow the Bobcats to stage a full comeback. Crowell recorded six saves in the victory.
The Jeffs once again outshot their opponents (11-8), forcing Bates keeper Nini Spalding to make seven saves. "I think it was a good sign that we were able to put in three goals, since last season we struggled with scoring," said Armstrong of the team's recent offensive explosion.
Wojcik also lauded the team's new found offense, saying, "The confidence we have in our team, as well as our ability to score was definitely bolstered by our second conference win. We know we're a strong team technically, and we also proved we can put balls in the net."
The Amherst onslaught continued as they shutout visiting Springfield College (3-2-2) in an impressive victory yesterday afternoon. The Jeffs needed just seven minutes to find paydirt, as Leslie Pruzansky '07 crossed a pass to streaking first-year Natalie Ferriaolo for the early 1-0 lead. The two teams fought back and forth for the remainder of the half, but Amherst maintained its one goal margin at the break.
Once again, the Jeffs' pressure would prevail. Armstrong tacked on the insurance goal in the 68th minute on a pass from junior Sarah Shea. With a two goal cushion Crowell and fellow netminder Scout Durwood '06 had no problem closing the deal as Amherst prevailed by a 2-0 count.
Crowell tallied five saves for the victors, while the Jeffs' oppressive defense did not force Durwood to record any saves in maintaining the shutout.
"We still have a lot of work to do, but we're looking good," said Wojcik. "If we are going to succeed this season, though, we can't get complacent."
The new found offense combined with an already solid defense has made for a dangerous squad thus far. Amherst has out-shot their opponents in each of their four contests this season and have outscored their competition by a margin of 8-3. The Lord Jeffs will look to keep up the pressure, stay perfect and on top of the NESCAC when they travel to Tufts University this weekend for a conference contest. The Jumbos are 1-1 (2-1 NESCAC) this season.