Amherst field hockey dives into the fall with high hopes for another successful season. The Jeffs finished last year with a 10-5 overall record — the best finish since 2003 — and experienced a six-game winning streak during the final weeks of the season. The team’s postseason concluded with a 1-0 loss to Trinity College in the NESCAC Quarterfinals, just two days after the Jeffs defeated the Bantams in a double-overtime match at home.
Field hockey returns to the field without three members of the 2009 class. Midfielder Alyssa Dudzik ’09 was a valuable playmaker and earned All-American honors for three straight seasons. Fellow graduates Louise Stevenson and Catherine Calvert were key defenders who helped thwart the opposing offense.
Despite those losses, the Jeffs possess the talent to challenge top NESCAC teams this season. Senior forward Molly Malloy aims to improve on her scoring record, having led Amherst in goals (8) and assists (2) for three consecutive years. Junior forward Elizabeth Schink — the team’s second leading scorer — and midfielder Hayley Douds ’10 will add to the strength of the Jeffs’ offense. At the other end of the field, defender Tierney Healey ’10 will have a leading role in Amherst’s defensive tactics. Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Vitale, returning from a stellar rookie season, will also be back in the net. Vitale was named the NESCAC Rookie of the Year last fall and ranked third in the conference with a 0.822 save percentage.
“While we lost a lot of talented seniors last year, the team this year looks stronger than I have ever seen it,” said Schink ’11. “Coming off last season ranked 20th in the nation for the first time since any of us have played here, this is the first season that I’ve felt like we are one of the teams to beat. We are carrying ourselves like a dominant team on and off the field already. Instead of looking at the schedule and picking out big games against the nation’s top teams, we are putting ourselves in that pool with them. We are expected to be one of the ‘teams to beat’ this season, and we plan to live up to that expectation.”
Vitale ’12 also spoke of the Jeffs’ high anticipations for the new season: “The team is extremely excited for our first few games. We feel this is our year to be a top NESCAC team, so our first games provide a great opportunity to prove ourselves early in the season. We feel confident that we will start the season off well with challenges like Bowdoin and Tufts.”
“We are looking to build off of the momentum we created at the end of last season,” added Head Coach Carol Knerr. “We have a strong nucleus of returning players as well as the addition of some talented first-years. Our goals are to focus on improving at every practice and gelling as a team.”
Amherst field hockey hopes to start the season with an enthusiastic home crowd against Bowdoin College — currently ranked No. 1 and defending national champions — on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Gooding Field.