In the final home game of their Amherst field hockey careers the seniors got their wish, defeating archrival Williams College. The Jeffs turned in an impressive performance, coming from behind to grab the victory in overtime.
“The game was special not only because Williams is our biggest rival, but also because it was our Senior Day,” said defender Rachel Egan ’10. “We really wanted to win for our seniors. Also, we lost to Williams twice last year and really wanted to make up for that. We all knew that we wanted it more than the Williams team and it showed on the field.”
The Jeffs found themselves behind when the Ephs converted on a penalty corner to go ahead 1-0 with just under 20 minutes left in the first half. Forward Liz Schink responded for the Jeffs just eight minutes later, after receiving a pass from rookie defender Sarah McCarrick and slotting a shot past the opposing goalkeeper and into the net. The score remained tied as the whistle blew to signal halftime.
Amherst dominated play in the second half, creating multiple scoring opportunities through some stellar passing and good tactics.
“For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been working on our passing skills,” said defender Tierney Healey. “The defense has been practicing switching the ball across the field and hitting it up to a forward wing. By doing this successfully, we’ve been able to beat a huge portion of our opponents’ players in as few as two passes.”
Despite Amherst’s solid play, the ball could not seem to find the back of the net; after 70 minutes of regulation play, the teams remained tied at one apiece.
Williams had the first real chance at an overtime victory when the Ephs earned a penalty corner. The Jeffs were able to defend the play, however, and overtime continued. Then, less than five minutes into the extra frame, tri-captain senior Alyssa Dudzik took control of the ball at the edge of the circle and passed to Schink. Schink then flicked the ball to forward Molly Malloy ’10, who dodged the goalkeeper and netted her seventh goal of the year to give Amherst the win.
“We worked together better than we have in other games,” remarked Healey of the victory. “Our accurate passing and receiving and our ability to transfer the ball gave us the edge over Williams. I really think we won because we all worked together exceptionally well. It was truly a team effort.”
The Jeffs must channel the confidence they gained from the win in their upcoming practices. This week, the team prepares to take on NESCAC foe Trinity College for Amherst’s last match-up of the regular season. A victory in the game would mean that Amherst would move up in the conference rankings and gain a better seed for the NESCAC Tournament.
Despite what happens next weekend, the squad is proud of the way it has played in its last few games, and the players can tell that their improvements are netting good results.
“We are peaking as a team right now,” said Egan. “We are just playing the best we have played all season and it is really exciting. We are going to go out against Trinity with the confidence that we can win the real competitive games.”