While many of their peers used last week to relax, the women’s lacrosse team used Spring Recess as an opportunity to train hard and play three games, finishing the week with two wins and a loss to bring its season record to 3-2 and its NESCAC record to 2-1.
Just before the break, the Jeffs earned a narrow victory in a double overtime nailbiter against Springfield College, finishing the game with a 10-9 win over their visiting non-conference opponent. Amherst used the momentum from that game to propel them into their third competition of the season on the first day of what some called vacation.
On Saturday, March 14, the Jeffs travelled south to take on the Connecticut College Camels in a game that would count towards the NESCAC standings. Despite falling behind 5-3 in the second half, Amherst eked out an 8-6 win over their conference foe. The Jeffs were bolstered by three goals in the first half from sophomore Kelley Trapp and three goals in the second half from first-year Lindsey Moran.
Moran said the come-from-behind victory gave the Jeffs confidence in their next games. “Conn College was a very important game, as we proved to ourselves that with focus, teamwork and determination, we could rally from a goal deficit and win the game.”
Three days later, Amherst took another road trip south to face Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J. The Jeffs held the lead for much of the first half, but after being ahead 6-4 seven minutes before halftime, they allowed 12 consecutive goals from the Ducks to bring the final score to 16-6.
Senior quad-captain Amy Craig, the team’s leading scorer this season, added three goals in the loss to bring her season total to 15.
In the Jeffs’ final game of Spring Recess, they hosted the Bowdoin College Polar Bears in a conference game.
The Amherst team was bolstered once again by Craig, who netted three goals against the Polar Bears. First-year Allie Horwitz and senior quad-captain Mary Noonan each added one point to give the Lord Jeffs a 5-4 victory over their opponent. First-year goalie Lamia Harik was also instrumental in the win as she added seven saves to bring her season total to an impressive 38.
Moran said the team is building on their successes to prepare for its upcoming games. “We have laid out specific offensive and defensive strategies and techniques that will be advantageous to us as we play a variety of teams in the coming weeks. We are striving for a sound game at both ends of the field, as each day we are incrementally adding more pieces to our game and building for a strong finish to the season.”
The team plays again tonight when it takes on Skidmore College at home. Amherst, which was ranked 14th nationally in last week’s Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll, should fare well against the unranked Thoroughbreds.