Trinity College’s field hockey team was ranked eighth in the nation when the Jeffs defeated them in the last game of the regular season. The victory for Amherst gave the team the fourth seed for the NESCAC Tournament and Trinity the fifth, meaning they would meet again on Sunday in the quarterfinal game of the tournament at Amherst.
Unfortunately, back-to-back wins over Trinity were not in the cards for the Jeffs, as they lost on Sunday 1-0. The loss, however, was only a small blemish on an otherwise successful season. Amherst is ranked 20th in the nation and fifth in the region in the most recent NCAA poll. Though a bid to the national tournament is a long shot, the Jeffs have their fingers crossed that their season will be extended.
Last Friday’s match against Trinity was marked by impressive technique on both sides of the ball. Though both squads had chances on goal, regulation ended in a 0-0 tie.
The first overtime mimicked regulation play, with each team stymieing its opponent’s attack. But forward Molly Malloy ’10 needed a mere 30 seconds of the second extra period to give Amherst the win.
Entering the second game against the Bantams with wary confidence, Amherst controlled play for the most part, putting together some excellent passing combinations. Nevertheless, they couldn’t seem to find the back of the net. Just 15 minutes into the game, Trinity earned a penalty corner and capitalized, taking the lead. Despite several serious scoring opportunities, including a one-on-one with the goal keeper, Amherst was unable to even the score before the final whistle.
“The effort was there,” said Head Coach Carol Knerr. “We dominated the stats. In the game of field hockey you can dominate and the result doesn’t always reflect that. Sunday was one of those situations.”
The Jeffs still have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, but it is unlikely, largely due to the strength of the NESCAC and the limited number of teams that make the tournament. Regardless of whether Sunday’s game marked the end of their season, the Jeffs are happy with their performance.
“We ended this season on an up. Obviously, we lost, but we lost after completing the longest winning streak we seniors have ever seen and securing our home field for the first round of NESCACs, something that hadn’t been accomplished since 2003,” said tri-captain defender Louise Stevenson ’09. “I’ll be so excited to read about our first championship trophy within the next few years and know our class helped Amherst along that path.”
Though Stevenson and her classmates have likely played their last game for the Jeffs, they have plenty of fond memories to look back on from the season. The Jeffs began on a high note by defeating Connecticut College, 3-1. Despite faltering against Middlebury, the Jeffs came back strong, grabbing two solid wins and racking up 12 goals in two games.
From there, Amherst hit a rough patch, losing three out of its next four games. However, the losses came at the hands of three teams ranked in the top 20 in the nation. After the string of losses, the Jeffs went on a six-game win streak to finish the season fourth in the conference.
“Overall, our team improved so much over the course of the season,” said Alyssa Dudzik ’09. “Ever since a tough loss against Tufts, I think we decided that we didn’t want that to happen again and literally improved as a team every day and every game; it was really amazing and fun to be a part of that. Although we ended on a loss, as almost all teams do, I will always have a positive memory of our team’s last stretch.”
Amherst displayed stellar passing skills throughout the season, as well as a relentless defense led by Tierney Healey ’10. At times, however, the Jeffs seemed to let bad situations get to them. One part of their game they will need to improve on if they make the national tournament is their ability to persevere and remain focused even when their opponents are controlling the play.
“I think that we get so invested in each game that if we are being outplayed by the other team, it is difficult for us to recover from that,” acknowledged goalkeeper Jane Mostue ’09. “We sometimes lose our focus or can’t continue to play our own disciplined game.”
The Jeffs also had remarkable team chemistry, both on and off the field. The captains held team-bonding activities every Friday night before Saturday games and worked to ensure that the first-years were integrated into the team as quickly as possible.
“The best part of playing field hockey here has been my teammates,” said Mostue. “Everyone was motivated starting from day one of preseason, and we pushed each other every day in practice so we could play our best in every game.”
Across the board, the Jeffs attribute their success to teamwork and chemistry, but there were undoubtedly some stand-out performances by individual players. Despite fighting an injury for part of the season, Malloy sits atop the Amherst leader-board in total points with eight goals and two assists on the season, while forward Liz Schink ’11 added seven goals and three assists of her own. On defense, Healey recorded an impressive five defensive saves and stopped numerous breakaways.
Amherst loses a number of key players to graduation this year. Dudzik, who was named to the All-NESCAC First Team and earned a spot on the All-American Second Team. Her quick stick work and presence in the midfield will certainly be missed. Stevenson and fellow defender Catherine Calvert will also graduate in 2009, leaving a young back-line in their place. Finally, Mostue and forward Caki Guinee will depart.
“The seniors for four years have been really dedicated and have shown their commitment to the team,” said a proud Knerr. “[They] have been great leaders in this program.”