Eastern Connecticut State University, a tough and physical team, is a top non-conference opponent for the Jeffs. The past two seasons saw two 1-1 ties against ECSU. However, in this season's home opener Amherst, edged the Warriors in a 1-0 victory last Wednesday. ECSU fell to 3-3 with the loss.
After controlling the ball for a significant portion of the first half, the Jeffs finally capitalized on their possession with five minutes left in the stanza. Sophomore forward Julia Cummings powered the ball past the Warrior's goalie with a one-touch shot off a pass from forward/midfielder Stephanie Yesnik '09.
The Jeffs continued to dominate the game through the second half, especially with force at the offensive end. The Jeffs out-shot ECSU 13 to six. Amherst's defense held the Warriors at bay as time slipped away, securing a Jeff victory. In goal, tri-captain senior Piper Crowell stopped five shots to collect her first shutout of the season.
"We seem to be improving with each practice and game," said forward transfer student Katie Coffey '09E. The Jeffs hard work in the tough ECSU game and diligence during the week's practices played an important role in their weekend match up.
Saturday's competition was a highly anticipated match up against Bates, the 2005 NESCAC Champion. The Jeffs proved that last season's title doesn't mean anything this year. The victorious Jeffs handed the Bobcats their first loss of the season, as Bates fell to 2-1 overall and 0-1 in the NESCAC.
Amherst got the scoring under way early in the game when Yesnik found the top right corner of the goal during the 15th minute of play off an assist from midfielder Meg Murphy '10. Not long after, Coffey found senior forward Amy Armstrong at the top of the box and set her up for a shot. Armstrong nailed the goal and the Jeffs took a commanding 2-0 lead.
The offense was on fire, and Coffey continued to push at the attacking end. Shortly after her assist, Coffey collected a hard rebound after a shot taken by Yesnik bounced off the Bates goalkeeper. Coffey headed in the rebounded ball at the 20 minute mark to give the Jeffs a solid 3-0 lead in the first half.
The comfortable lead at the halfway point helped the Jeffs secure the win even though they did not score in the second half. The team was not as fluid during the second part of the game as they had been during their scoring campaign, but they held it together to pick up their second conference win. Nearing the end of the game, the Bobcats were able to slip a goal past the Amherst defense. Despite the goal, first-year goalkeeper Lili Ferguson came up with four saves in her first collegiate appearance. Crowell, who logged 73 minutes in the beginning of the game, stopped seven of the Bobcats' shots.
"It felt great to beat the defending NESCAC champs," said Coffey. "But now we are looking on to Springfield [College] and will hopefully come out with the same result." This week the Jeffs have a full schedule including two away games during the week. On Tuesday they will face off against the Pride of Springfield College and on Thursday will try their hand against Smith College. On Saturday, back on home turf, the Jeffs will battle Tufts University, who advanced to the NCAA semi-finals last season. With the big week ahead, Coffey and the Jeffs plan to take the games on one at a time.
NESCAC Notes
Despite a successful postseason in 2005, Tufts had a difficult week in the beginning of this season. The Jumbos picked up two losses: one to Wheaton College and a conference loss to Middlebury College. Along with Amherst, Williams College and Middlebury stand undefeated in the NESCAC so far this season. Williams beat NESCAC opponent Connecticut College 1-0 and had a blowout win against non-conference foe Simmons College. Trinity College had a tough 0-3 week, with one loss to non-conference Manhattanville College and two NESCAC disappointments against Wesleyan University and Bates.