The women’s soccer team is peaking at the perfect time. With only two regular season contests left, the team is riding a six-game winning streak and hasn’t been defeated since its first match of the year. The Jeffs continued their dominance over NESCAC opponents last week, trouncing Colby College 6-0 on the road and out-doing Wesleyan University by a score of 4-1. Amherst also defeated non-conference opponent Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU) to improve its record to 8-1-2 overall and 6-0-1 in the NESCAC.
Amherst found a worthy opponent in ECSU, as the two teams battled hard in the first period and neither squad controlled the game. However, with four minutes remaining before halftime, forward Livia Rizzo ’12 connected on a cross from the right side to put the Jeffs ahead. Despite multiple counter-attack opportunities from its opposition, Amherst added to its lead in the second half, when midfielder Kyla Woodhouse ’11 drilled a shot into the back of the net for the final goal of the game.
“They were a very athletic and physical team, and we were able to match their physical play and keep pressuring them for the entire length of regulation,” quad-captain defender Kate Bentley ’09 said of ECSU. “We had a lot of opportunities, and were able to capitalize twice when it mattered.”
The Jeffs had only one day to recuperate before taking on the Wesleyan Cardinals. Woodhouse set the tone of the game in just the fourth minute, when she belted a shot from outside the 18-yard box and past the Cardinal goalkeeper. Rizzo added a goal of her own, before Woodhouse tallied her second of the match to give the Jeffs a comfortable lead going into the break. Though Wesleyan was able to ruin rookie goalkeeper Allie Horwitz’ shutout early in the second half, midfielder Meg Murphy ’11 responded with her tenth goal of the season, and the game ended in a 4-1 victory for the Jeffs.
“We kept the ball on the ground and played good possession-style soccer against them, which is our strength,” said Bentley. “We also had some great goals, setting the tone right from the first 10 minutes with Kyla’s great goal off a shot from far outside the 18-yard box.”
In the last few games, Woodhouse has emerged as one of the go-to goal scorers for the Jeffs. With seven goals and two assists on the season, she is second on the squad in total points and has scored four of her goals in the past three games.
“Her energy and work rate are fantastic, and she’s definitely picked the team up a couple times when we came out flat or weren’t playing our game,” said goalkeeper Lili Ferguson ’10 of Woodhouse. “She’s been so effective because she goes 110 percent for 90 minutes—or 110 minutes when we need it—and absolutely never lets down. Her shot this year is insane and her speed and strength have been key in getting crosses into the box.”
The Jeffs will need everybody to play 110 percent in their next game, when they face off against archrival Williams College. The outcome of the game will almost surely determine who receives the number-one seed for the conference tournament. Williams is ranked number one in the country and is first in the NESCAC. However, the Jeffs are confident in their ability to compete with highly-ranked teams, and they know how important it will be to come away with a win.
“To beat Williams, all we have to do is play our game and play it for 90 minutes,” said Ferguson. “We’ve shown that when we’re on, we’re untouchable, but the flip side of that is all the responsibility is on us. We need to come out from the starting whistle and play composed, physical, smart Amherst soccer all the way through. If we do that, we’ll get our result.”