AMHERST, Mass. - Five different Amherst College field hockey players scored, matching a school record, as the host Jeffs improved to 10-1 on Thursday afternoon with a 5-0 blanking of Pioneer Valley rival Smith College.
Amherst sophomore Abby Ouimet (Hatfield, MA), who scored the Jeffs' lone goal in their dramatic 1-0 victory at Middlebury College on Saturday, got the Jeffs on the board again in Thursday's non-conference matchup. After a shot from senior Co-captain Gretchen Bowe (Hampstead, NH) deflected off the pads of Smith goalie Tatiana Zelazo (St. Albans, VT), Ouimet pounced on the rebound, putting home her team-leading seventh goal of the season to give the Jeffs a 1-0 lead.
Bowe nearly gave the Jeffs a 2-0 lead on two separate occasions before halftime, only to have both apparent goals waved off due to Amherst infractions. Nevertheless, the Jeffs continued to press, outshooting the Pioneers 12-3 in the opening 35 minutes.
After halftime, it did not take long for the hosts, ranked fifth in the nation in the latest NFHCA poll, to put the game away. Bowe set up junior Marcy Busch (Scarsdale, NY) just 1:58 into the second period to give the Jeffs a 2-0 lead, before adding her seventh goal of the season at the 30:47 mark to put the hosts up by three.
Amherst rookie Christine Ryan (Summit, NJ) added her second goal of the season at 22:22, before junior Co-captain Mairin Brady (Bethesda, MD) capped the scoring with 13 minutes remaining on her fourth goal of the season. Junior goalies Beth Sensing (Hockessin, DE) and Catherine Deibel (Potomac, MD) combined on the shutout, the 26th career for Sensing.
For the Pioneers (4-10-1), the loss snaps a four-game stretch in which they posted three wins. Zelazo made three saves in the game.
With the win, the Jeffs improve to 10-1 heading into Saturday's showdown against arch-rival Williams College, currently the 10th-ranked team in the nation and one of only two remaining undefeated teams in Division III (along with top-ranked Lebanon Valley College). The Ephs took last year's meeting with a 3-2 double-overtime victory over the Jeffs, who can force a three-way tie atop the NESCAC standings (with Bowdoin College) with a win on Saturday. A Williams win would guarantee the Ephs the top seed in the first-ever NESCAC tournament and a first-round bye.
| Smith (4-10-1) |
0 |
0 |
-- |
0 |
| Amherst (10-1) |
1 |
4 |
-- |
5 |
Scoring:
A - Abby Ouimet '03 (7, unassisted), 19:05 (1st)
A - Marcy Busch '02 (5, Gretchen Bowe Õ01), 33:02 (2nd)
A - Bowe (7, unassisted), 30:47 (2nd)
A - Christine Ryan '04 (2, unassisted), 22:22 (2nd)
A - Mairin Brady '02 (4, unassisted), 12:47 (2nd)
Goaltending:
A - Beth Sensing '02 (39 min., 0 ga): 1 save, & Catherine Deibel '02 (31 min., 0 ga): 1 save
S - Tatiana Zelazo (70 min., 5 ga): 3 saves
Shots: A - 18, S - 4;
Penalty Corners: A - 16, S - 4
