Wednesday's NESCAC match was not much of a test for Amherst. A little more than five minutes into the match, junior forward Stephanie Yesnik stole the ball from a Camel defender and sent a forward pass near the goalpost. First-year striker Kyla Woodhouse met the ball and blasted a shot past Camel goalkeeper Bailey Andrews to put Amherst on the board.
Though the Jeffs continued to push their offense, the Camels almost came back with an equalizing goal when senior midfielder Annalisse Rios made a perfect cross. Her teammate, however, did n have enough time to set up for a decent shot. Another Camel attack caught the Jeffs by surprise when first-year striker Chelsea Johnson took a solid shot from just outside the goal box. Luckily, Amherst goalie Lili Ferguson '10 gauged her dive accurately and punched the ball away from the post to preserve the lead.
The incredible save was befitting of the recently named NES- CAC Player of the Week. "Being named Player of the Week is a huge honor, and I appreciate the recognition from the NESCAC community," Ferguson said. "It was definitely a surprise because, while I've been playing well, I definitely didn't think I'd done anything spectacular, so being singled out in such a positive way was unexpected."
Ferguson also praised her fellow defenders. "In all honesty, the recognition should be given to the entire back line," she said. "My defenders are truly the most gutsy, hardest working, talented girls I've ever played with, and a lot of my motivation this year has been to play up to their level and to do my best to support them."
As the Amherst defense continued to hold off the Camels, Yesnik scored Amherst's second goal well into the first half. Yesnik, assisted by a pass from midfielder Meg Murphy '10, immediately took control of the ball and easily put it past Connecticut's goalie.
Woodhouse and Murphy teamed up to assist defender Alanna Darling '09 early in the second half. Darling neatly placed her shot past Andrews for the Jeffs' third goal of the match. The Jeffs' fourth and final goal came from tri-captain midfielder Heather Nowak '08. In the 75th minute, Nowak succeeded in scoring off of a rebound of a crossing shot that Andrews had blocked.
Matching their aggressive start against Connecticut College, the Jeffs began the Homecoming match against Little Three rival Wesleyan in a blaze of fury. However, less than three minutes into the game, the head referee whistled for a direct penalty kick in favor of the Cardinals. Wesleyan's Sam Blank put away the penalty kick without a problem, and the Cardinals were up 1-0. Amherst Head Coach Jen Hughes exclaimed loudly in complaint, "You might as well give them the game, sir!"
"[It] was, frankly, ridiculous," said tri-captain Simone Burke '08. "A Wesleyan player wisely took a dive in the box and the referee bought it. I don't really think that the referee understood the implications of making such a call in the first minute. Wesleyan's scoring in the first minute launched their confidence level and severely deflated ours, which had a decisive effect on the rest of the game."
Amherst renewed its offensive efforts, and Nowak stepped up in the 28th minute to touch a rebound past the goal line. The Jeffs' equalizer was met by very enthusiastic applause from the home crowd. Amherst's first goal was duly earned and rewarded. Muddy clothes were a testament to the Jeffs' determined defensive efforts, as Darling, defenders Kate Bentley '09 and Kate Moriarty '09 managed to block the mounting Wesleyan offense for the remainder of the first half.
At the start of the second half, the play was peppered with several calls for indirect penalty kicks by the Cardinals. Nicole Gray earned Wesleyan's second goal when her shot flew into the net, over the outstretched hands of Ferguson. The match continued to be a thriller. Corner kicks abounded for Amherst, with Nowak taking all 16. With four minutes left, Darling headed in one of Nowak's corner kicks, and the Jeffs rushed into a group huddle to celebrate the 2-2 tie. Amherst nearly avoided overtime when junior midfielder Natalie Ferraiolo took a shot that went wide by inches in the last 20 seconds of regulation. The play throughout overtime was as sensational as the start of the match, and ultimately ended in simultaneously exhausting and exhilarating 2-2 scoreless draw.