"This is the first time in the history of the program that we are opening our season with two non-NESCAC games, not to mention two games against nationally ranked 'Top 25' teams," said tri-captain Simone Burke '08. "We're excited to be opening our season with challenging games that will force us to come out with strength and conviction from the very beginning. Johns Hopkins and TCNJ are both very talented squads and these games will really test our team."
Indeed, the test did prove to be challenging. The Jeffs tied 1-1 with the Blue Jays on Saturday in a double overtime game. It was a disappointing end to a promising first half. Just 18 minutes after the kick off, junior forward Stephanie Yesnik scored the first goal with an assist by junior Natalie Ferraiolo. Amherst women led the number of shots to goal by 5-2 in the first half as well. Some of the adrenaline boost from their early performance was lost, however, by an equalizing goal in the second.
In the 52nd minute, Natalie Held scored the only goal for Hopkins with a pass from Kim Lane.
The Jeffs were unable to regain their lead and had to face two grueling overtime periods. There was one nail-biting moment when midfielder Meg Murphy '10 took a close shot in the second overtime. Despite having to settle for a tie, the first game of the season did highlight sophomore goalie Lili Ferguson's spectacular goal-saving skills. Ferguson shut out 10 of the 11 goal attempts made by the Blue Jays. Senior tri-captain midfielder Katie Coffey said, "We were happy about our result with Johns Hopkins, especially after 110 minutes of soccer in 100-degree weather."
Ranked number three, The College of New Jersey proved to be the toughest competition yet. Last year, TCNJ squeaked a victory on penalty kicks past the Jeffs in the national quarterfinals. Although the Jeffs desperately wanted revenge, this year's matchup was not the same thriller that the Jeffs almost squeaked oout last season. The Lions once again defeated the Jeffs 5-0 on Sunday. "It was a long weekend," said forward Kyla Woodhouse '11. "We definitely had a tougher time with the second game."
Luckily though, the team is not disheartened by the disappointing results of their first two games. "We knew going into this weekend that it would be a very tough challenge," said Coffey. "I think that we have a lot of talent on the team and now know what we need to do in order to succeed as a top team in the country. Even with the unfortunate loss, the weekend was still great because we are playing with the best."
The Jeffs see the Adidas Classic as both a valuable experience in teamwork and a wake-up call. Although they had hoped to set the tone for the upcoming season with two wins, the Jeffs were happy to discover what they need to work on together as a team, and also what their strengths are. They will face ECSU on Wednesday and Bates College for their first NESCAC match this Saturday.