The Jeffs got on the scoreboard early with a successful corner kick at the 1:24 minute mark. Sophomore defender Kate Moriarty, who saw limited playing time with an upperclassman-led defense last season, stepped up and took all of the corner kicks for the Jeffs. Moriarty landed the ball in the vicinity of senior forward Amy Armstrong, who found the back of the net with the Jeffs' first goal of the year. "We really set the tone of the game by scoring in the first few minutes," said Moriarty.
Armstrong and sophomore midfielders Kathryn Bentley and Stephanie Yesnik had several more looks at the goal, but the Bantam goalkeeper and defense prevented the Jeffs from scoring again in the first half.
Almost 60 minutes after her first score, Armstrong found another hole past the keeper and brought the score to 2-0. This time Bentley set her up for the shot.
"Amy played great," said tri-captain goalkeeper Piper Crowell '07. Armstrong's scoring performance on Saturday bodes well for the 2006 Jeffs. After the first game of the year, she is just one goal away from tying her season total from last year. She is currently leading the NESCAC in points per game.
Shortly after Armstrong's goal, Moriarty set up first-year midfielder Meg Murphy for a shot. Murphy slipped one past the Bantam's goalkeeper securing the Jeffs' lead at 3-0. "We had trouble scoring last year so getting in three goals was a good start to the season," said Armstrong.
A minute later the Trinity attack brought the score to within two off a goal from a rebounded shot that hit the post. That would be the only goal the Bantams scored, thanks to the Amherst defense.
"The defense tried a new line up which was very successful," explained Crowell. To fill a gap, senior tri-captain Liz Foley-who normally plays center back-moved to the outside where she was very effective at preventing crosses and winning balls in the air. Sophomore midfielder/defender Alanna Darling also made a move, going from an outside midfielder to center back. Darling's position switch allowed her to continue to control defense and generate offensive momentum. Crowell played the full 90 minutes in goal and collected four saves on the game.
"I was really impressed with how our team played hard for all 90 minutes and didn't let up the intensity in attacking and getting back on defense," said Crowell. Moriarty added, "We were able to capitalize on our scoring opportunities against Trinity and hopefully it will continue throughout the season."
For the coming week the Jeffs will face two tough competitors: Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) and Bates College. "Last year we tied ECSU; they play a tough physical game," said forward Jenny Muller '07. "And Saturday against Bates will probably be one of our biggest games of the season."
With the challenges in the games ahead, the Jeffs plan to make some strides during practice. "This week in practice we are going to work on playing quicker balls and making more accurate passes," said tri-captain midfielder Lesley Pruzansky '07.
The Jeffs are hoping that "this first win reflects the potential our team has to have a strong season," said Moriarty '09. The next two games will be at home. ECSU visits on Wednesday at 4:30, and Jeffs will look for their second conference win against Bates on Saturday at 11:00.
NESCAC Notes
Amherst's archrival Williams College had a convincing 5-1 victory over Wesleyan University. The Ephs also challenged Union College, with the game ending in a tie. Bowdoin College had a high scoring 5-1 game against Bridgewater State while Middlebury College brought home a conference win against Connecticut College. A double overtime stalemate resulted in the match up between Colby College and Tufts University. The Jumbos lost in the NCAA semi-finals during the 2005 season.