Courtesy of Wesleyan Sports Information
MIDDLETOWN, CT – The Amherst College women's lacrosse team (6-4, 3-3 NESCAC) suffered a 12-5 loss at Little Three rival Wesleyan University (5-7, 2-5 NESCAC), snapping an 18-game winning streak for the Lord Jeffs vs. the Cardinals.
Wesleyan last knocked off Amherst on Apr. 23, 1994 by an 11-8 count. Since then Amherst had rattled off 18 in a row, including a pair of one-goal games last year, 9-8 in overtime during the regular season and 8-7 in the NESCAC Championship quarterfinals.
With junior Charlotte Hastings and sophomore Maggie Lile scoring four goals apiece, Wesleyan never trailed in the game today as the contest was played in a steady rain with raw conditions. A pair of 4-0 bursts by the Cardinals gave the home team a 6-2 lead at the 23:47 mark of the second half and a 10-3 advantage with 11:09 remaining, as Wesleyan scored eight of nine goals after the score was tied 2-2 midway through the first half.
Wesleyan and Amherst traded goals in the final nine minutes for the 12-5 final. Sophomore Jess Chukwu started the first four-goal Wesleyan burst with a free-position goal at 8:26 of the first half. Hastings netted her first goal of the contest on a strong run to net with 6:49 to go before intermission for a 4-2 Wesleyan lead after 30 minutes.
Goals by Hastings and sophomore Allie Lynch to open the second period spotted Wesleyan a 6-2 margin. Amherst junior Tyler Tory-Murphy (Sea Cliff, NY) ended the Wesleyan run with her second goal of the contest at 19:36 to make it 6-3, but the Cardinals responded with four goals in a span of 6:47 for a 10-3 edge. Lile and Hastings both finished their four-goal days by countering Amherst goals from senior Caki Guinee (Owings Mills, MD) and Christina Hopkins (Montclair, NJ) down the stretch.
Amherst top scorer Amy Craig (Denver, CO), who came into the contest with 30 goals in nine games, recorded one goal and one assist, improving her point total this season to 35. Sophomore Kelley Trapp (Monterey, CA) had two assists on the day, increasing her season point total to 26.
In the Wesleyan net, sophomore Abby Sedney got her first start of the year and took advantage by making eight saves. First-year Lamia Harik (Rye Brook, NY) started for Amherst and allowed nine goals in 45 minutes of work with six saves. Sophomore reserve Caroline Burke (Brookline, MA) permitted three goals over the final 15 minutes.
Wesleyan's next game will be at Williams Saturday, Apr. 18 with a chance to lock up an outright Little Three title for the first time since 1982. Amherst plays at Middlebury Wed., Apr. 15 in its next contest.
