AMHERST, MA - Visiting Springfield College connected three times on its first three shots of the game during a five-minute span late in the first half - including a pair of goals by junior forward Amanda Conk (Montclair, NJ) - to hand 19th ranked Amherst College a 3-0 loss in a non-conference women's soccer matchup on Thursday. It was the Jeffs' second straight defeat after a 2-1 loss to visiting NESCAC rival Trinity College on Tuesday, falling to 4-2 overall, while Springfield improved to 6-1.

Amherst dominated the action early-on and nearly cracked the scoring column on several occasions, including a near-miss header off a corner kick by senior midfielder Cathy Poor (Harwich Port, MA) 9:18 into the game, and another Poor header off a crossing pass from junior defender Katharine Shipley (Newton, MA) at 26:30 that sailed just wide of the net.

Springfield barely managed to cross midfield and didn't register a shot until the last 10 minutes of the half, when it started to gain an offensive foothold. Sophomore Springfield forward Laura Harwood (Longmeadow, MA) finally got a shot off and found the back of the net off a pass from sophomore forward Tessa McGovern (Tolland, CT) at the 36:34-mark, triggering a three-goal flurry on three successive shots from which the Jeffs would never recover.

Just 3:22 after Harwood's goal, Conk added an insurance tally that skimmed the crossbar on its way past Amherst senior goalkeeper Hallison Putnam (Lexington, KY). Conk then extended the lead to 3-0 with a dribbler into the lower right corner of the net inside the half's final four minutes for her team-leading fourth tally of the season. Both of Conk's goals were assisted by first-year midfielder Molly Desroches (Belchertown, MA) and would turn out to be all Springfield would need en route to the victory.

The second half played out much like the first 32 minutes of the first, with Amherst controlling the ball throughout. Again, Poor nearly connected on a pair of legitimate scoring opportunities, while first-year striker Tracy Montigny (East Granby, CT) sailed a shot just high with 16:20 remaining in the game.

The win was Springfield's third straight after a pair of NEWMAC wins over Babson College and W.P.I. Junior Pride goalkeeper Christine McCarey (Middleboro, MA) notched five saves en route to the shutout, as the Jeffs outshot Springfield 11-4. Putnam - who normally plays in the midfield but has filled in at goalie during the Jeffs' last five games - finished with one saves for Amherst.

The Jeffs return to action Saturday at 11 a.m. against visiting NESCAC rival Bowdoin College.