On Wednesday, the Jeffs traveled to New London, Conn., to take on the conference rival Camels (5-3-2, 3-2-1 NESCAC). Forward Amy Armstrong '07 put Amherst on the board early, taking a pass from midfielder Lesley Pruzansky '07 at the 28-minute mark and sneaking it past Camel goalie Kate Simmons for the early 1-0 lead. Simmons kept the game close through the half, but the Jeffs came out firing in the second half to ensure the victory. In the 59th minute, midfielder Heather Nowak '08 beat the defense and pounded in an unassisted goal to give the Jeffs a 2-0 lead. First-year forward Stephanie Yesnik added the final goal on a feed from Armstrong.
"Conn. is one of our least favorite teams, especially since they kicked us out of the first round of the NESCAC tournament last year," said Armstrong. "We needed revenge and we got it."
Amherst then hosted Little Three rival Wesleyan (2-7-2, 0-5-2 NESCAC) in a Homecoming showdown on Saturday. According to a few Jeffs, the win over the Cards was the result of solid preparation. "Coming into the weekend, we knew a win on Saturday would ensure us a spot in the tournament and a win on Sunday would give us a home game in the first round of NESCACs," said Armstrong.
The Jeffs wasted no time in getting on the board, needing just 15 seconds to find the net. Pruzansky took a feed from Yesnik directly in front of the goal and slipped it past Cardinal netminder Andrea Giuliana for the immediate 1-0 lead. Junior forward Jenny Muller added to the margin at the 33-minute mark, slamming a header into the back of the net off a midfielder co-captain Sarah Coleman '06 corner kick.
Wesleyan narrowed the margin to one goal just three minutes before the half when Cardinal striker Sarah Hopkins took a cross from classmate Natalie Cohen and beat Jeff keeper Piper Crowell '07 to make it a 2-1game heading into the break.
Muller put the game away in the 57th minute, taking a cross from Nowak and putting another header into the back of the net. Yesnik added extra insurance seven minutes later, taking a rebound inside the 18-yard box and blasting it past Giuliana, capping the 4-1 victory.
The following day, the Jeffs hosted Middlebury College (6-4-2, 3-3-2 NESCAC) in a crucial NESCAC match-up. The Panthers got the scoring started early as forward Erin Pittenger took a pass from midfielder Caity Abshere inside the box and snuck it into the corner of the goal. Middlebury would hold the Jeffs scoreless for the rest of the frame, heading to the break with a 1-0 lead.
Crowell saved the Jeffs early in the second half, tipping away a surefire goal in the 63rd minute and handing the momentum back to Amherst. The Jeffs capitalized on the new-found energy, as Pruzansky connected with open midfielder Natalie Ferraiolo '09 to tie the score, 1-1. Pruzansky then helped the Jeffs take the lead in the 73rd minute, finding midfielder Alanna Darling '09 for the go-ahead goal, just outside the 18-yard mark.
Crowell and the stellar Amherst defense kept Middlebury from reaching the net in the final minutes as the Jeffs held on for the 2-1 win. Crowell finished with seven saves in the contest.
"I think our team has really come together this past week, on and off the field, and we are turning our season around," said Nowak. "The games this weekend were proof that we are awesome and we really can score."
With only one game to play, the Jeffs have now set up a showdown with archrival Williams College on Saturday with the second seed in the NESCAC Tournament on the line. "Williams is an important game for us because it determines our ranking in the tournament," said Armstrong. "Besides hoping to improve out ranking, it's Williams. We obviously don't like them very much, and a victory on their home field would be sweet."