The women’s soccer team came away victorious this past weekend in Vermont in a rematch of last year’s NESCAC Tournament quarterfinal game against Middlebury College. The 4-1 win in their first conference game bodes well for the Jeffs’ 2008 campaign for the NESCAC title.
Though the score at halftime was tied at one-a-piece, the Jeffs shocked the Middlebury Panthers in the second frame, scoring three goals in 12 minutes to put the game out of the home team’s reach. Amherst was pleased with its offensive performance and hopes to continue the offensive pressure and goal production throughout the season.
“One of our biggest struggles last year was scoring goals,” said midfielder Meg Murphy ’10. “This season we have been working a lot on our attack and I think that showed against Middlebury. Scoring four goals has definitely given us some confidence that we didn’t have last year.”
Forward Jackie Hirsch ’11 started off the scoring midway through the first half, but the Panthers answered just three minutes later with a goal of their own. As they made their way to the locker room for halftime, the Jeffs looked a little frustrated, but reappeared for the final stanza, reinvigorated and ready to crush the competition.
“Our coaches had several tactical things to say to us at halftime, but the most important message that they imparted to us was to have fun and play with confidence,” said midfielder quad-captain Natalie Ferraiolo ’09. “I think they noticed that the nerves of playing our first NESCAC game were affecting some of us, so it helped a lot to have their confidence and be reminded of why we play the game in the first place.”
In the second half, Murphy decided to take matters into her own hands, using her confidence to score two goals and tally an assist to cap off an Amherst rout. The Jeffs’ go-ahead goal came off of a feed from midfielder Kyla Woodhouse ’11 to Murphy, which the 2006 NESCAC rookie of the year blasted past the Panther goalkeeper. Ferraiolo rounded out the scoring for the Jeffs, notching her first goal of the season. Though the Jeffs played hard from the first whistle, the team truly came alive in the second half and showed off its skills in front of a quiet crowd.
“In the first half, we were working hard but we were not possessing the ball the way we needed to,” said Murphy. “We recognized this and changed it in the second half. Once we calmed down and found each other’s feet, Middlebury could not handle our devastating attack.”
Amherst, pleased with its play in the 18-yard boxes both defensively and offensively, knows that there are still many improvements to be made. Though they played a solid 90 minutes, the team, at times, showed small lapses in concentration and didn’t always take advantage of its dominant areas.
“None of our goals came directly off a cross,” noted Ferraiolo. “Considering the speed we have on the flanks, I think we should work to exploit that option in the future.”
The Jeffs’ strong showing is a step in the right direction. With team chemistry starting to really show and nerves beginning to calm down, the team is on track to fulfill its goals for the season.
“This win was the first step towards our goal of winning the NESCAC Championship and being first in league play,” said Ferraiolo. “We also got some much-desired revenge for our season-ending loss to [the Panthers] last year, and we hope to continue to get revenge for all those games that didn’t go our way.”
With a full week to prepare for their home opener against Bates College, the Jeffs will need to work hard in practice to carry the momentum built from last weekend into the upcoming match.