From a Trinity College release
HARTFORD, CT – Amherst College senior tri-captain Molly Malloy (Stamford, CT) scored the game's only goal and sophomore Emily Vitale (Cheshire, CT) earned a shutout in the cage with seven saves to lead the visiting Amherst College field hockey team to a 1-0 victory over the Trinity College Bantams in the NESCAC regular season finale for both teams this afternoon on Sheppard Field.
With the result, Trinity, ranked No. 4 in the nation, falls just one win short in its quest for its first undefeated regular season since 1997, and finished the regular season campaign at 13-1 overall and 8-1 in the NESCAC. Amherst, ranked No. 15 in the nation, closes the regular season with an 11-3 record overall and a 6-3 mark in the league, riding a six-game win streak into the postseason.
Trinity finishes in a first-place tie in the final NESCAC standings with the Tufts University Jumbos, and the Bantams will host a NESCAC Championship Quarterfinal game for the first time against the Connecticut College Camels on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m. Trinity won at Tufts, 2-1, on Oct. 17, which gives the Bantams a tiebreaking edge on the Jumbos, and, therefore, their first No. 1 seed in the league tournament. With a win against Connecticut College, Trinity will host the NESCAC Semifinals and Finals next weekend.
Amherst finished tied with Middlebury for third place in the NESCAC, and won its regular season game against the Panthers to earn the No. 3 seed in the upcoming tournament. The Lord Jeffs will host No. 6-seeded Bowdoin, the two-time defending NCAA Champions, in their NESCAC Quarterfinal game on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.
After an uneventful first half that saw the teams combine for seven shots, Malloy blasted in a rebound from point-blank range after Trinity sophomore goalie Gina Dinallo had saved a shot from the right side by sophomore forward Chrissy Cantore (Hershey, PA) 2:35 into the second stanza. Malloy nearly gave Amherst a 2-0 advantage with 13 minutes remaining when she worked the ball past the Trinity defense and around to the left of a diving Dinallo, but fired a shot wide left of the cage.
Trinity failed to score for the first time this season, despite a series a late blasts from the top of the circle by junior midfielder Robyn Williams and a pair of second-half put-backs by sophomore back Payson Sword that were stopped by Vitale. Dinallo finished with six saves for Trinity.
