The women’s soccer team has long since recovered from the disappointing 5-1 defeat at the hands of The College of New Jersey to open the season. Amherst tore up the turf over the past few weeks, winning convincingly against Middlebury, 4-1, and Bates Colleges, 7-0. The Jeffs have tied their past two opponents, 1-1 at Springfield College and 3-3 at Bowdoin College.

Saturday’s match against Tufts University is an opportunity for Amherst to break its string of frustrating ties. Quad-captain defenders Alanna Darling ’09 and Kate Moriarty ’09 will anchor the Jeffs’ defense, while the team’s leading goal-scorer Meg Murphy will look to break through Tufts’ defense.

The Jumbos have an overall record of 4-0 (NESCAC 3-0), and Tufts forward Cara Cadigan ’10 was the top goal-scorer for the NESCAC last season. If they win on Saturday, the third-ranked Jeffs will pull closer to the NESCAC’s top two teams, Tufts and Williams College, allowing Amherst to hold out hope for a NESCAC title.