Against Kean, the Jeffs had a clear advantage on the attacking end during the first half with a 19-5 shot advantage. Midway through the stanza, first-year midfielder and NESCAC Rookie of the Year Meg Murphy set up senior forward and NESCAC Player of the Year Amy Armstrong for the game-winning goal. Five minutes later, Armstrong sent a short cross into the six which the Kean goalie punched to junior midfielder Heather Nowak, who one-timed it in to give the Jeffs a 2-0 lead. Armstrong's goal marked her 12th of the season, and her assist brought her to 28 points for the year.
During the second half, Amherst almost made it 3-0 off a shot from first-year midfielder Cami Farkas. However, the Cougar goalkeeper made the save, keeping the score at 2-0. While Kean was able to pull off five more shots in the second half, they were unable to capitalize. The Jeffs outshot Kean 32-10 over the course of 90 minutes. Goalkeeper Piper Crowell '07 made two saves to collect another shutout win.
The Jeffs knew that the next game against Wheaton, who had won 19 straight games before the contest, would be a battle. "We haven't beaten Wheaton since I've been here," said Armstrong.
The game on Sunday marked the 24th meeting of the Lyons and Jeffs; Amherst held at the time a 12-9-2 series mark. With their season on the line, the Jeffs came out full force, got on the board early and did not look back. "Everyone was so focused before the game," noted Armstrong. "Wheaton didn't know what was coming."
Amherst got control of the ball at the opening whistle. Co-captain midfielder Lesley Pruzansky '07 sent a cross from the left side to Murphy '10 who knocked in a shot for the opening goal. Only 22 seconds had expired. In the 19th minute, sophomore midfielder Natalie Ferraiolo sent a pass through to Murphy who caught up to the ball and fired it to the left side of the net. While the Lyon keeper got a piece of the shot, it went in, giving the Jeffs a 2-0 lead.
The Lyons made a solid attempt at goal seven minutes later, but Crowell made a diving save, stopping the shot. With six minutes left in the half Nowak passed the ball to Farkas, who carried the ball up the left side to the touchline before rolling the ball back into traffic at the top of the box. Sophomore midfielder Kate Bentley collected the ball and scored Amherst's final goal.
During the second half, the Lyons had their best look at goal that nearly crossed the goal line, but was turned away by an Amherst defender. Crowell collected five saves in the second half, for a total of seven on the game.
The Jeffs were outshot by the Lyons 16-11, but held a 7-5 edge in corner kicks. The game ended with a 3-0 Amherst victory, bringing the team to 14-2-1 for the season, and advancing them to the next round in the NCAA Tournament.
"We absolutely dominated [Wheaton]," said Armstrong. "We wanted it more and we played with more heart. I'm glad the better team won."
"Everyone on our team played so well," continued Nowak. "The win was truly a team effort. There isn't one person who didn't step up and play a great game. Scoring early was key to our confidence, yet we continued to attack the entire game despite our lead."
The Jeffs advance to Sectionals of the NCAA Tournament this weekend. The team faces off against Endicott College who is 20-3. One of Endicott's losses was to Wheaton (4-2) and another was at the hands of Bates College (5-0). The Jeffs beat Bates twice this year, first in the regular season 3-1 and then in the NESCAC Tournament 3-0.
With a win against Endicott the Jeffs will advance and face the winner of a matchup between Middlebury College and sectional host The College of New Jersey.
"This weekend was amazing.We're all so excited for the Sweet Sixteen," said Armstrong. "We'd love to spend our Thanksgiving in Florida preparing for the Final Four."