The women’s lacrosse team is undefeated through the first third of the season. During Spring Break, the Jeffs improved their record to 5-0, but the streak is not their main focus. “We have been taking games one at a time, such that, to me, it almost doesn’t really seem like we’re undefeated,” said tri-captain goalie Linda McEvoy ’08. “It just feels like we’ve won five games.”
Amherst’s focus on the task at hand paid off before Spring Break even began. Though the balmy weather of West Palm Beach, Fla. beckoned, the Jeffs hosted Springfield College two days before they took off. The result was a blowout for Amherst. Attacker Amy Craig ’09 exploded for six goals, with five in the second half. Tri-captain attacker Maddie Hoeg ’08 contributed three goals and two assists. Meanwhile, the Amherst defense kept the Pride off the board for the first 18:42 and held on for a 13-8 win. “The Springfield game was a great lesson in how to come out strong and take the wind out of a team’s sails early,” said McEvoy.
With the win, the 2-0 Jeffs were ready to head south. Next up was Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS), then ranked 16th in the nation. “Knowing their history and that they had a 5-0 record, I knew it would be a good game,” said midfielder Tyler Tory-Murphy ’10.
The game featured several lead changes, and the score was tied six times. Once again, Amherst found a way to win. Craig netted the game-winner with 4:50 remaining and Hoeg added an insurance tally, as the final score read 11-9.
With each game this season, Amherst has absorbed more than just wins. The CMS game was no exception. “We came up with the win and as each player got to know everyone else’s style of play, we developed trust in one another,” said Tory-Murphy.
“They were a good aggressive team and I think the solid win helped to bond us and help us realize our abilities,” added McEvoy.
The Jeffs took the lessons from their previous contests and seemed to put them together against Eastern Connecticut State University. The result was an offensive outburst of 19 goals and a defensive lockdown with only three goals allowed. “We made it our team goal to play the game with a high level of intensity,” said Hoeg. “From the first to the last minute of the game we put tremendous pressure on ECSU, forcing them to turn over the ball frequently.”
Head Coach Chris Paradis gave every player some time on the field, and 10 people had at least a goal or an assist. Hoeg netted five goals; Craig and Tory-Murphy each scored four times while midfielder Hannah Walker ’10 had a goal and three assists.
While the ECSU game wrapped up Amherst’s southern swing, the Spring Break slate wasn’t over yet. The Jeffs headed back to Amherst for a NESCAC game against Bates College. Amherst continued to roll with an 8-4 win. “The travel day on Friday was not conducive to playing a really tough conference game on Saturday, but again, my team got it together and we pulled off a pretty convincing win,” said Tory-Murphy.
McEvoy made 13 saves and joined the defensive unit of tri-captain Catherine Calvert ’09, Natalie Singer ’10 and Gretchen DeLuke ’08 in limiting Bates to four goals. Hoeg matched the Bobcats’ offensive output by herself, giving her 13 goals on the week.
The busy but successful Spring Break is over. But the Jeffs, ranked 10th in the country, still have their work cut out for them. Next up is seventh-ranked Babson College, which shocked Amherst with a 7-6 win last year and is one of the hottest teams in the nation. Amherst feels up to the challenge. “Our attack and defensive units are coming together well, and the team is playing with confidence,” said Paradis.
The Jeffs’ conference schedule will heat up following the Babson game, but that is a bit far off Amherst’s radar. “Right now we’re just taking it one day and one game at a time,” said Calvert.