The women's soccer team has a lot to celebrate this week. First, a two-match winning streak with back-to-back wins against Trinity College and Colby College has improved Amherst's NESCAC record to 4-1-1 and 4-4-3 overall. Secondly, goalie Lili Ferguson '10 was named NESCAC Player of the Week this week, being the first member of this year's team to receive the honor. The Jeffs struggled to score at the start of the season, but have lately shown dramatic intensity in their offense.

Despite the torrent of rain falling on the field, the Jeffs scored a 2-0 solid victory against Trinity last Wednesday night. Though they had to adjust quickly to the wet turf of Gooding Field, the Jeffs soon realized the benefits of being on turf over mud. Senior tri-captain Simone Burke said, "One advantage of playing on wet turf is that the surface remains relatively even. Whereas on grass, the field would have quickly become muddy and would have gotten chopped up over the course of the game."

The faster pace of the ball on turf worked to Amherst's advantage. The Jeffs' offense looked to capitalize on their opportunities with every pass. Within seconds, forward Stephanie Yesnik '09 sped from the far right side of the field to the other to chase down a ball. And less than 15 minutes into the game, forward Cami Farkas '10 outraced a Trinity defender to a loose ball and passed to the center. Midfielder Meg Murphy '10 drove an untouchable shot into the corner of the goal, angled diagonally to hit the back of the left goal post.

Midway through the first half, a handball was called on Trinity right outside the goal box. The call set up a golden scoring opportunity for Amherst, as the Jeffs were awarded a direct free kick. Midfielder Alanna Darling '09 placed the ball and succeeded in executing a clean, mid-high shot into the net.

The Jeffs established a 2-0 lead in the first half but never stopped pressuring Trinity. Shortly after the free kick, senior tri-captain midfielder Katie Coffey attempted a shot that hit the side of the net. Tri-captain midfielder Heather Nowak '08 almost won another goal for Amherst early in the second half, but her shot bounced off the crossbar, drawing some disappointed sighs from the crowd. The Bantams were unable to gain momentum, stifled by Amherst's breakthroughs. The Jeffs kept up an interlocking flow of passes despite slips and slides on the wet turf.

A stellar defense, of course, freed the midfielders to run the ball forward. Juniors Kate Moriarty, Katie Bentley and sophomore Kathy Nolan cleared the ball from the feet of Trinity strikers. Amherst's lead was not seriously contested. Lili Ferguson '10 made three saves throughout the night. Once in the second half, Ferguson kept an avid watch on the ball in a confusing melee of players and snapped up the ball the moment it became loose. The last desperate efforts of Trinity were smothered relentlessly.

The action-packed match, however, led to several goalkeeper-striker collisions on both sides and many injury timeouts. "Trinity was a great game because we went for everything with everything that we had," said Burke. "Unfortunately, that resulted in four players walking off the field with black eyes (and one broken nose) and in a partially torn MCL for Bentley. Unfortunately, Bentley will be resigned to the training room and to the bench for a while, but she should be back in time for the post-season. Everyone else will continue to play as usual."

At Colby this weekend, the Jeffs racked up another NESCAC win over the Mules. The regulation time ended in a scoreless draw, but Amherst had outshot Colby by a margin of 20-8. Overtime was an ironic affair. The first sudden-death overtime session ended in a 1-0 victory for Amherst, because a Colby defender accidentally knocked the ball past her own goal line. This was Amherst's first overtime win, as the Jeffs were previously shut out in double-overtime sessions with Eastern Conn. State University and Middlebury College.

The Jeffs have remained unbeaten for the last four matches and a run at the NESCAC title definitely appears to be within grasp.