CAC foe Tufts University. At 3-2 (2-1 NESCAC), the Jeffs are duking it out in the scuffle for the top spot in the NESCAC.
Under the lights on Gooding Field, the Jeffs squared off against non-conference foe and then 16th-ranked Springfield College. The Pride came out strong, assuming control of the ball for the first 10 minutes. Amherst fought back when sophomore forward Molly Malloy tore down the field, but the play was broken up by the Springfield keeper. The remainder of the half was a back and forth struggle, both teams managing good possessions. At the end of the first stanza, the score stood nil-nil, though the Jeffs had mustered four shots to the Pride's one.
Springfield stormed out of the half, peppering the Amherst goal with shots, each turned away by senior tri-captain Kathleen Boucher, who by game's end had stuffed 13 shots. The remainder of the half was, like the first, well-fought on both sides, punctuated by near miss opportunities by the Jeffs.
Junior Catherine Calvert rattled off three strong, shin-shattering shots from just within the circle, two of which were just off net and one that was stopped by a spectacular save by the Springfield goalie. The game was deadlocked at 0-0 at the end of regulation, sending the match into the 7-on-7 sudden-death frame. Both teams continued to play well, neither needlessly forfeiting possession or lapsing on defense. Ultimately, it would be the Pride to make the first and only strike of the game with just over seven minutes remaining in the first overtime period. "The Springfield game was one of our best games so far," said senior tri-captain Christa Porcaro. "It was an intense game with so many chances for each team. The outcome was not in our favor, but sometimes that is just the luck of the game."
"They were tired and we were tired by the middle of overtime," added midfielder Carolyn Shea '08. "They just managed to get the ball in the goal before we did."
With no desire to dip below the .500 mark, the Jeffs rolled east to Medford, Mass., to take on the Jumbos of Tufts. Both teams played well in the first half, and, despite taking nine shots, the Jumbos managed to convert none of them. The Jeffs, on only three shots in the half, managed two goals: the first from the stick of Porcaro, with the helper from Malloy, and the other by Malloy off an assist from Porcaro. The score stood at 2-0 in favor of the Jeffs heading into the half.
Unwilling to drop a game on their home turf, the 3-1 (2-0 NESCAC) Jumbos came storming out of the halftime gates, finding the back of the net just two minutes after the halftime whistle. They continued to keep the pressure on the entire second half, taking 13 shots to the Jeffs' zero.
In addition, Tufts had a plethora of penalty corners, amounting to 22 by game's end, while the Jeffs only had one. Despite their best efforts, the Jumbos could not find a hole in the impermeable Jeff defense, and at game's conclusion the score stood at 2-1 in favor of Amherst. "[That] Tufts only came up with one goal is a testament to Kathleen [Boucher] and to our defenders," said Shea. "They were pretty impressive."
Now standing in second place in the NES-CAC, the Jeffs are in position to move into first place with a victory over Bowdoin College on Saturday. Bowdoin is currently leading the NESCAC with an impressive record of 3-0. Saturday's match will be very exciting as each team has shown much potential in the first half of the season.
Both teams are coming off of conference wins, with Bowdoin defeating Williams College and the Jeffs topping Tufts last week. "I think our team has finally gotten to the position we were in last year when we reached the peak of our season," said Porcaro. "Our skills have almost grown together and we continue to progress as a solid unit."