The Jeffs experienced a thrilling rollercoaster of a week. On Wednesday night, the Jeffs faced off against national powerhouse Wheaton College. Amherst possessed the lead up until the last seven minutes of the second half. The Lyons, however, shocked the Jeffs with two back-to-back goals to end the match 2-1. Luckily for Amherst, the heartbreaking loss was soon exorcised by a solid 3-1 win over Bowdoin College on Saturday afternoon.

For the first half of Wednesday's contest, both sides had close but unsuccessful scoring bids. Melida Alvarez led the Lyons in the offensive attack from early on. Alvarez's play required Lili Ferguson '10 to make several spectacular saves, helping Amherst's offense to become more aggressive. Sophomore Meg Murphy and first-year Kyla Woodhouse, in particular, showcased clever footwork in an effort to outwit Wheaton's defense. It was Stephanie Yesnik '09, however, who picked up fellow junior Natalie Ferraiolo's assist to take a shot that just missed the goal by inches. Shortly afterward, tri-captain Heather Nowak '08 set up another scoring opportunity with a corner kick. Alanna Darling '09 met the ball head-on, but failed to knock it home. Despite being outshot 8-9, the Jeffs held off the Lyons and finished the half in a 0-0 stalemate, thanks largely to Ferguson's ability to neutralize some dangerous moments.

The Jeffs plunged into the second half with renewed aggressive energy. With less than 10 minutes gone, Woodhouse found a pass from Yesnik and scored her first collegiate goal. The pressure was on for the Lyons. The competition became rougher, as Wheaton tried to muscle its way through Amherst's defense. The Lyons' Barrie Lindsay, assisted by Katelyn Brack, equalized and then scored again off a setup by Alvarez. Racing against the clock, Amherst ultimately had to concede defeat.

On Saturday, however, the Jeffs picked up their second NES-

CAC win. The beginning was rocky, with Bowdoin scoring the first goal. The Polar Bears' Christine Aceto sped past two Amherst defenders, and Ferguson had to step out to challenge the oncoming striker. Aceto's successful low and hard shot in the 22nd minute fueled the Jeffs' drive to win. Barely six minutes later, Jillian Whiting '10 ran towards the goal after a throw-in. Woodhouse took Whiting's pass and kicked the ball sideways into the net to tie the score.

Teamwork was almost flawless throughout the match. While tri-captain midfielder Katie Coffey, Nowak and Murphy led the offensive campaign, the Jeffs' defense held off the Bears. Ferguson once again displayed her keen instinct. She chose the right moments to hang back for safety, but also knew when to step out and dare to challenge the player with the ball.

Neither the blazing heat nor Bowdoin's defense could stifle Amherst's drive to win. Sophomore Cami Farkas, assisted by Darling, combined luck and skill to score. Bottled up by Bowdoin's defenders, Farkas chanced a longer shot. The Bears' goalkeeper Kat Popoff fumbled with the ball and let it slide into the goal, giving the Jeffs a 2-1 lead. Farkas also forced Popoff to dive for the ball outside the box in the 27th minute. The resulting handball call allowed Murphy to send a free kick into the back of the net for a 3-1 Amherst advantage. Tri-captain Simone Burke '08 emphasized the rally: "Coming back from a 0-1 deficit and ultimately winning 3-1 shows heart, determination and desire."

Bowdoin had a few legitimate opportunities to score, but the Jeffs fended them off to keep the lead. Dana Riker outmaneuvered two Amherst defenders and connected on a pass to Aceto, but the Bowdoin striker was unable to get close enough to attempt another shot. With three minutes left in the game, there was an intense moment as Ferguson punched away the Bears' desperate effort to tie the score.

The Jeffs are now 2-4-2. "Beating Bowdoin felt great, but more than anything we feel relieved to have finally broken our losing streak," said Burke. "We've already played out more than half of our regular season games, so if we were going to turn things around we needed to do it this weekend. Beating Bowdoin will hopefully mark a new beginning for the Amherst women."