Recovering from the tough competition last weekend, the women's soccer team geared up for a match against Eastern Connecticut State University this past Wednesday. The Jeffs walked into the game with confidence, having defeated the Eastern Warriors in a pre-season scrimmage less than two weeks ago. They were not expecting another 110-minute overtime game to end 0-0.
The Jeffs, currently ranked fourth in New England, easily outshot the Warriors 27-6 overall. Unfortunately, the Eastern goalkeeper Megan Gloster made an impressive 12 saves, sending away even the Jeffs' best efforts. There were two scoring bids that were very close calls. Like a climactic scene straight out of a movie, first-year defender Claire Galliete's corner kick gave first-year midfielder Jillian Whiting a chance to score with only three seconds left in the first sudden-death overtime. Whiting's well-placed shot missed the crossbar of the goal by only a foot as the 10-minute session expired. Sophomore midfielder Meg Murphy also had a solid 12-yard shot that Gloster saved with a dive in the last 10 minutes of the game.
Murphy was a shooting powerhouse on Wednesday, leading both teams with nine shots out of the 33 in the game. The Jeffs' defense put up an excellent performance as well. The Warriors were not able to seriously challenge goalkeeper Lili Ferguson '10, who only had to make one save.
On Saturday, the Jeffs earned their first win of the season against Bates College in cold any rainy conditions. The Jeffs' overall record improved to 1-1-2, and their NESCAC record is unblemished at 1-0-0. Winning the first NESCAC contest was definitely a confidence booster. Senior captain Simone Burke acknowledged, "Our win against Bates was a huge relief. When a team gets into the sort of funk that we did in our first week, that trend can be difficult to reverse."
Only six minutes into the match, the Jeffs stunned the Bobcats with an early goal. Murphy, clearly living up to last year's title of NESCAC Rookie of the Year, made her first goal of the season. She was assisted by junior forward Stephanie Yesnik and sophomore midfielder Jillian Whiting. Murphy drove her shot 15 yards from the left goal post and hit the back of the net. Amherst's offense consistently outshot Bates with a 16-6 margin.
A spectacular defense proved to be the key. Four back players acted as an impenetrable wall of defense, blocking the Bobcats from making any legitimate attempts to score. Tri-captain Katie Coffey '08 anchored juniors Alanna Darling and Kate Moriarty and sophomore Kathy Nolan on the Jeffs' defense.
In the end, Bates could not overtake the Jeffs. Ferguson shut out the Bobcats with three saves and allowed Amherst to just ride out its lead.
"We are so happy about the result with Bates," said Coffey. "It was a great win to start off the NESCAC [schedule], and hopefully this will carry on for the rest of the season. Everyone played really well throughout the field."
Unfortunately, last night the Jeffs lost a 2-1 decision against Springfield College in a double overtime thriller.
Despite the loss, the Jeffs are still off to a great start in NESCAC play. Sporting a league record of 1-0, Amherst has high hopes for the numerous conference games that lie ahead.