Amherst midfielder Lesley Pruzansky '07 got the scoring started early for the Jeffs, blasting a shot past Tufts goalie Annie Ross at the 12-minute mark. The Jumbos would not hang their heads, though, and responded with a goal just four minutes later. Forward Lauren Fedore headed a cross from Sarah Callaghan past Jeff junior net-minder Piper Crowell '07 to even the score, 1-1.
"They were probably the best team we have seen so far," said senior defender Margaret Chute. "They were quick on the transition to offense and hungry for every ball."
The momentum swung back and forth for the remainder of the half, with the Jeffs applying immense pressure. At the 28-minute mark, midfielder Heather Nowak '08 fired a shot past Jumbo goalie Annie Ross, but was denied a goal as the shot ricocheted off the post and away from the net. Neither team would tally another goal in the half, and the score remained deadlocked going into the break.
The second half belonged to the swift Tufts offense. Following a 24-minute stalemate the Jumbos' blitzkrieg transition game took over, as Martha Furtek notched the go-ahead score for the Jumbos in the 69th minute. After trapping the ball atop the 18-yard-box, Furtek quickly turned and powered a low shot into the back corner of the net for the 2-1 lead.
The Tufts attack was not finished yet, as Callaghan was awarded a penalty kick just two minutes later. The Jumbo snuck her shot past Crowell for the score, but the goal was disallowed, as an inadvertent whistle during the kick breathed new life for the Jeffs. Callaghan proved successful again on her second attempt, however, and Tufts took a 3-1 lead with just under 20 minutes left to play.
The two-goal deficit proved too much for the Jeffs, who couldn't find the net before time expired despite relentless offensive pressure. Amherst was out shot for the first time this season, managing just seven shots on goal compared to 15 attempts for the Jumobs. Crowell made a pair of saves for the Jeffs, while Ross needed to make just one save in ensuring the victory for the Jumbos. Despite the loss, Amherst retained a first-place tie in the NESCAC with a 2-1 league record, while the Jeffs' overall mark fell to 3-1-1.
"We possessed the ball really well and had it on their side of the field a lot of the game. We just had a short defensive lapse and they capitalized," said Chute. "It was a frustrating loss but hopefully it will give us the drive to not let it happen again."
The Jeffs look to rebound today with a challenging non-conference match-up against visiting 22nd-ranked Wheaton College, a 2004 national semi-finalist. Conference play resumes on Saturday when Bowdoin College visits for a showdown on Memorial Field.
Chute affirmed Amherst's confidence entering this week's play. "The game against Wheaton is going to be huge because they ended our season two years back and we have yet to beat them since," she said. "They are always a strong and skilled team, but I think we are playing together really well, and we definitely have the ability to beat them this year."