In the semi-finals, the Bobcats came out controlling the ball for the opening five minutes of play. Bates came up with a good look on net, but failed to get a shot by Amherst goalkeeper, tri-captain Piper Crowell '07. Fifteen minutes into the half, junior midfielder Heather Nowak '08 sent the ball into the Bobcat's defensive zone off of a free kick. First-year midfielder Meg Murphy ripped a shot off from 20 yards out, bouncing off a Bates defender's feet. Senior forward Amy Armstrong collected the ball and sent it to the lower corner of the net giving Amherst a 1-0 lead.
Another attack by Bates sent in a close-range shot on the Amherst goal, but Crowell came up with a big save. Amherst responded with a drive on goal where Armstrong sent the ball to junior midfielder Katie Coffey who took a shot from 30 yards out. The Bates goalkeeper got a piece of the shot which then proceeded to bounce off the crossbar, off the goalie's body, and then into the goal. Minutes later Armstrong took another shot at the net, but it sailed high.
During the opening of the second half, the Bates' attack had two attempts at the Amherst goal, but Crowell and the defense were able to keep the ball from tickling the twine. Bates took seven shots in the second half, but none were strong enough to get past the Amherst defense. Crowell collected a total of 10 saves during the shutout, her fourth of the season.
With 17 minutes left in regulation play, Armstrong stole the ball from a Bates defender and took it to goal on a break away. Separating herself from the pack, Armstrong was able to find the back of the net to give the Jeffs a compelling 3-0 victory.
"We came out nervous and played frantic for the first 15 minutes," said Crowell. "Once we were able to put one away we calmed it down and took control."
On Sunday the Jeffs kicked off against Middlebury in the NESCAC finals. The Panthers had come upwith a 2-0 victory during the semi-finals against Colby College. Emerging from the highly competitive play in the finals was a back-and-forth battle ending in a 0-0 tie at the end of 90 minutes.
Both teams had corner kick attempts during the first five minutes of play with aggressive offenses having come out strong. Murphy got a one-timer off Amherst's first corner attempt, but the ball was saved by the Panthers' keeper. The even-keeled teams each found opportunities on the attack that were shut down by stingy defenses.
On a corner kick by Middlebury, a Panther hit the crossbar, forcing Crowell to direct the ball out of bounds. Middlebury had two more corner kicks following that attempt, but the Amherst defense was successful in clearing the ball. The Jeffs' defense was put to the test for the remainder of the first half. While the ball was in the Amherst territory, the defense held strong and prevented any serious attacks. Sophomore defender Alanna Darling produced noteworthy play for the Jeffs during the Panther attacks.
With less than 14 minutes to play, Amherst transitioned the momentum into the Middlebury zone, but could not capitalize on a couple chances.The half closed with a scoreless tie.
Amherst initiated the first major attack of the second half when co-captain midfielder Lesley Pruzansky '07 sent a cross to Armstrong whose shot looked promising, but was cleared by the Panther defense. Middlebury came up with many threats on the attacking end, but was warded off by the Amherst defense. On a corner kick with seconds remaining in regulation, the Jeffs saw one more opportunity when sophomore midfielder Mary Marvel headed the ball towards the goal. It sailed high, and the teams went into overtime.
The early minutes of overtime were packed with scoring opportunities for both teams, however none were fruitful. In the last three minutes in the first sudden-death period, the Panthers crossed a ball to the corner and sent in a low shot past the Amherst defense. The ball hit the back of the net, and Middlebury claimed the 2006 NESCAC Championship.
"Sunday's game was a hard-fought battle and could have gone either way," said Crowell. "Although the result was disappointing, our play is something to be proud of."
Despite the loss in the finals, Amherst was awarded an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. "As unfortunate as it was to lose in the NESCAC finals, every single member of our team gave it their all, and we could not have asked more of anyone," explained Coffey. "We had a great game against Bates and Middlebury, but unfortunately we did not come up with the [win] against Middlebury. We are definitely excited [about] the NCAAs, and hopefully will have a great run in the tournament."
Amherst will face Kean University in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at 1:30 p.m. at Wheaton College.