Despite a rocky start to the season, the women's soccer team has been slowly gaining momentum. The Jeffs are currently ranked third in the NESCAC at 5-4-3 overall and 5-1-1 in the conference. Team morale was never low. "Our team is resilient and determined," said tri-captain Simone Burke '08. "Although losing over and over was extremely difficult and mentally taxing, we knew that getting down on ourselves would be self-defeating."
The Jeffs opened the season with the Adidas Classic Tournament at the College of New Jersey. Their first game resulted in a 1-1 tie with Johns Hopkins University. Midfielder Stephanie Yesnik '09 scored the first goal of season in the first half. The game highlighted the Jeffs' solid defense, led by tri-captain Katie Coffey '08 and Alanna Darling '09. Unfortunately, the legacy of the double-overtime was also set as a precedent.
Leaving no time for recovery, the Jeffs had to face the College of New Jersey the very next day. The TCNJ Lions proved to be Amherst's toughest competition on the season. Not only was the 5-0 defeat the Jeffs' first loss of 2007, but also it was also a blaring wake-up call. The team had to learn to push the ball on offense while still defending its own goal.
Excessive nail-biting and head-clutching moments accompanied the next match against Eastern Connecticut State University. Although the Jeffs had many opportunities to score, the game ended in a 0-0 deadlock and another double-overtime ensued. First-year midfielder Claire Galliete's corner kick allowed fellow midfielder Jillian Whiting '10 to take one last shot before the second session expired. But it was to no avail. The Jeffs came out of the match disappointed with their lackluster score, which did not accurately reflect the team's dominating performance.
The proceeding win against Bates College-the first victory of the season-was definitely a confidence booster. Midfielder Meg Murphy '10 scored her first goal of the year, giving the Jeffs the 1-0 win. Coffey joined Darling, Kate Moriarty '09 and Kathy Nolan '10 in acting as Amherst's impenetrable wall of defense. Sophomore goalie Lili Ferguson's strong play allowed the Jeffs to ride out the lead.
A string of losses followed the bright expectations created by the first win. The 2-1 loss against Springfield College was especially tough because the Jeffs had to struggle through yet another double-overtime. They outshot Springfield by a wide margin in both periods, but did not capitalize on their opportunities to score. The team suffered a 1-0 loss against Tufts University the same week. Once again, the Jeffs outshot the Jumbos, but failed to translate those numbers into a victory.
Another heartbreaker was the 2-1 match the Jeffs dropped to Wheaton College. Amherst was leading, 1-0, thanks to rookie Kyla Woodhouse's first collegiate goal. But Wheaton shocked the Jeffs with back-to-back goals for the final 2-1 score. Everyone would have preferred a "perfect, undefeated season" said Burke. But "losing builds character, so at least we can say that our team has gained a hell of a lot of character in the past few weeks."
The following 3-1 win over Bowdoin was both long-awaited and well-deserved for the Jeffs. Although the Polar Bears scored first, Amherst found enough energy to come back. Within six minutes of Bowdoin scoring, Woodhouse found Whiting's pass and equalized the score. Forward Cami Farkas '10 scored the Jeffs' next goal. And a handball call in the second half allowed Murphy to transform a free kick into the final goal.
Woodhouse showed enthusiasm after the Bowdoin match. "Alanna and [junior] Kate Bentley did really well on defense," she said. "Cami had a great game playing forward and Meg is always really influential and instrumental in the middle."
The Jeffs' next game, against Middlebury, proved to be a testament to how determined the Jeffs are to win. The match was especially meaningful because it was a rematch of last season's NESCAC Championships, which the Panthers won in a shootout. This year's first half was sluggish, ending in a 0-0 stalemate, but both sides came out more aggressively in the second. Ten minutes into the period, Murphy's penalty kick grazed the goal post, unfortunately bouncing the wrong way. Yesnik similarly had an opportunity in the last 20 minutes, but Middlebury's goalie deflected the shot.
Despite their ability to control the ball, the Panthers' attempts to score were blocked by Amherst's formidable defense. Several times, defenders Nolan and Bentley ran the ball forward past midfield to hand Amherst's offense another chance.
In the first overtime session, Middlebury's Jenny Galgano had a great opportunity when she confronted Ferguson one-on-one. But Ferguson managed to punch the ball over the crossbar. Ferguson also neatly caught a Middlebury penalty kick in the last two minutes of the second session to end the match 0-0.
Most recently, the Jeffs' back-to-back wins over NESCAC rivals Trinity College (2-0) and Colby College (1-0) improved the season's outlook. The Jeffs played with unmatched ferocity against Trinity. With rain quickening the ball's pace, Amherst stepped up to the challenge. Murphy, assisted by Farkas, drove an untouchable shot into the goal barely 15 minutes after kickoff. Darling also executed a clean free kick to add insurance to the Jeffs' lead. Ferguson and the defense made numerous incredible plays, despite the tricky conditions. Victory did not come without cost, however; four Amherst players suffered injuries in the match. Coffey's was the most serious, as she tore part of her MCL. She will hopefully be back for the postseason.
The Jeffs caught another break last Saturday. Finding themselves in another scoreless overtime game, this time against Colby, they broke through for their first overtime win, thanks to a Colby own goal. Wednesday's 4-0 thumping of rival Connecticut College punctuated Amherst's current unbeaten streak.
The streak has done wonders for the Jeffs' title chances. "We have something that other NESCAC teams do not have: we were one game away from the national semifinals last year," said Burke. "We know what it feels like to be on the brink of something amazing, and we are desperate for a second chance."