Expectations were high as the women’s soccer team prepared for games against two highly ranked teams last week. Though Amherst entered both contests as the underdogs, the Jeffs were confident in their ability to play with some of the top squads in the nation. And they did just that, defeating perennial powerhouse and 16th-ranked Wheaton College 2-1 and ousting ninth-ranked Tufts University from its second-place position in the NESCAC with a convincing 3-1 win.
The Jeffs looked like they might be in trouble early in the first half of their road game against the Wheaton Lyons. Not only did the Lyons dictate the style of play, but they were beating the Amherst players to loose balls and out-muscling the Jeffs all over the field. At the break, Wheaton led the Jeffs, 1-0.
“The Wheaton game started out rough,” said defender Jill Kochanek ’12. “In the first half we were being outplayed physically and were not sticking to the style of soccer that our team plays best.”
Amherst used the 10-minute break to refocus. Treating the second half like a new game, the Jeffs maintained possession of the ball and became more creative in the offensive third of the field. Their renewed efforts paid off, as forward Meg Murphy ’10 capitalized on a cross from the right side to tie the game at one apiece.
The Jeffs weren’t finished yet, however. With just under seven minutes to play in the game, midfielder Kathy Nolan ’10 cleaned up a rebound off the hands of the Wheaton goalkeeper, deftly placing the ball into the back of the net for the final goal of the match. The win marked the first time since 2001 that the Jeffs have come away from Wheaton victorious.
Still on cloud nine from their victory against the Lyons, the Jeffs channeled their excitement and energy toward preparations for their big game against the Jumbos of Tufts.
When asked how the team trains for such games, midfielder Jackie Hirsch ’11 spoke with confidence about the team’s rigorous training. “It’s simple,” she said. “Physically, on any given day, we are training harder than any player on our opponent’s team. Mentally, we go into each game without any doubt that we can, and will, beat any team that we play.”
Though the Jeffs faced an unbeaten Tufts team that had outscored its opponents 10-0 in its first five contests, the home team took control of the game from the first whistle. Just 14 minutes into the match, Kochanek jumped above her opponents to head a free kick into the Jumbos’ goal, giving the Jeffs a 1-0 lead. It didn’t take the Jumbos long to tie up the game, however, as they scored off of a well-executed corner kick. As the first half came to a close, the Jeffs had several opportunities to retake the lead, but they could not convert. The score remained 1-1 as the whistle signaled the end of the first frame.
The second half saw more of the same strong play from the Amherst squad. The team was soon rewarded for their efforts, when Murphy headed a Hirsch cross past the outstretched hands of the Jumbos’ keeper to put the Jeffs up 2-1. But the Jeffs and Hirsch weren’t done yet. With under 12 minutes to play in the game, Hirsch rushed up the right sideline and sent a cross straight to the foot of forward Stephanie Yesnik ’09. Yesnik corralled the ball, took a couple of touches and chipped the ball over the opposing keeper and into the net.
The two wins move Amherst to second place in the NESCAC and nearly assure the Jeffs a spot in this week’s national rankings.
“We are an incredibly talented team with huge potential to do some serious damage in the NCAAs,” said Hirsch. “When a team trains as hard as we do... great things are bound to happen. If we string together 90 minutes of Amherst women’s soccer—winning every 50/50 ball, playing to feet, out-hustling our opponents—like we did this past week, we are unbeatable.”