When they entered Saturday's showdown at Williams, the bitter rivals were tied for second place. The intense rivalry was further fueled by high stakes, as a victory for either team would guarantee them the second seed in the NESCAC Tournament and home-field advantage in the opening round.
The game remained scoreless through the first 20 minutes as the teams battled back and forth, trying to gain control. However, the Jeffs broke the scoreless tie in the 22nd minute as junior forward Jenny Muller found the net on a feed from classmate midfielder Leslie Pruzansky. The Amherst defense held strong for the remainder of the half, and the Jeffs took a one-goal lead into the break.
Amherst came out firing in the second frame, cutting through the Ephs' defense and keeping Purple Cow goaltender Sarah Ginsburg busy. Ginsburg made seven saves in the period to keep the Jeffs from finding the net again. However, Amherst goalie Piper Crowell '07 was equally brilliant between the pipes. Crowell made nine saves in the contest, including four in the second half, to secure the shutout victory for the Jeffs.
The Amherst victory paired the Jeffs against seventh-seeded Colby College (7-2-5) on Sunday in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament. The two teams met previously on Oct. 15 in Waterville, Maine, and played to a 0-0 double overtime tie during a torrential rainstorm. Despite numerous attempts to score by each team, terrific goaltending by Crowell and Mule keeper, Liza Benson, kept the contest scoreless.
Sunday's first-round showdown was déjà vu for both sides. The first half was a battle for possession as the teams fought physically for offensive opportunities. Neither side could manage a scoring opportunity until late in the frame when Pruzansky found first-year forward Stephanie Yesnik on a low cross that nearly broke the game open for the Jeffs. Benson denied Yesnik's shot with an athletic save, however, and protected the scoreless tie through the end of the half. The second half belonged entirely to Amherst. The Jeffs unloaded seven shots on goal while barring the Mules from a single look at the goal. Again, Benson proved up to the challenge, keeping Amherst off the scoreboard in spite of numerous opportunities. Midfielder Natalie Ferraiolo '09 was the only Jeff who managed to beat Benson, firing a low shot past the Mule net minder that appeared destined for the back of the net. However, a Colby defender was able to get a piece of the ball at the goal line and deflect it outside of the post.
With the score knotted after 90 minutes of play, the game moved into overtime. Neither team managed to get a look at the goal in the first overtime period, and the game progressed into a second overtime frame. Another 10-minute defensive standoff led to a 0-0 tie after the two extra sessions.
While the game would have ended as a tie in regular season play, a winner had to be crowned to determine who would advance to the semifinal round. The Jeffs and Mules faced off in a winner-take-all penalty kick shoot out.
The Jeffs jumped out to a 3-2 lead, capitalizing on their first three attempts. However, Benson, who notched her league-best seventh shutout, came through again for Colby. With the game on the line, the impenetrable net minder made a pair of clutch saves to keep the Mules alive.
With the count knotted at three goals apiece, Katie McCabe stole the victory for Colby, beating Crowell with a blast into the upper-right hand corner of the net and making this the second year in a row that the Jeffs have dropped the opening round game as the second seed in the NESCAC Tournament. In 2004 the Jeffs made an early exit when they were upset 1-0 by seventh-seeded Connecticut College.
Overall, the season was a series of ups and downs for the Jeffs. Ranked 18th in the nation to start the season, the team quickly jumped out to a 3-0-1 record. Then, as a result of a three-game skid, the team was falling rapidly in the standings with just three weeks left to play. Amherst came together, though, and closed out the regular season 5-0-1 before finally succumbing to Colby. The Jeffs finished the season with an overall record of 8-3-3 (5-3-2 NESCAC).
Senior co-captain midfielder Lyn Wojcik said that she was proud of the team despite its final loss. "This year's team had a lot of talent, probably more than in any of my past three years, and it's heartbreaking to have it end prematurely," she said. "But I'm proud of our accomplishments this season. It's been a privilege playing with these women. All of them are incredible people and it's just been such a blessing to be a part of the team."