Amherst, which held a decisive 17-5 shot advantage and 8-4 edge in corners, returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 8 at archrival Williams.AMHERST, MA - Kathryn Nathan'13 (Pembroke, Mass.) and Kate Sisk '14 (Sudbury, Mass.) each netted a goal to lead the Amherst women's soccer team to a 2-0 win over Tufts University on Hitchcock Field.
With the win, the 18th-ranked Lord Jeffs matched the best start in school history at 7-0-0 (5-0-0 NESCAC), while dealing Tufts (3-1-2, 2-1-1 NESCAC) its first loss of the season. Having won the last four meetings, Amherst improved to 12-14-7 all-time against the Jumbos.
Hoping to get off to a fast start, an aggressive Tufts side won a pair of corners in the first five minutes of action, but the Lord Jeff defense rose to the challenge, clearing both set pieces without allowing a shot on goal.
Looking to generate some offense of their own in the 33rd minute, Nathan played it forward to Chloe McKenzie '14 (Upper Marlboro, Md.) on the left side. Tufts sophomore goalkeeper Kristin Wright responded by coming off her line, charging toward the top of the 18 and sliding to cover up the through-ball, smothering Amherst's early chance.
Continuing to push forward, the Jeffs generated another scoring opportunity when Emily Little '13 (Sherborn, Mass.) tracked down a cross to the right side of the box. Moving toward goal, the junior tried to lift the ball over a diving Wright, who got a hand on the initial shot. An alert McKenzie corralled the rebound, heading it toward the Jumbo net, but a Tufts defender cleared it off the goal line to keep it scoreless.
Still searching for the game's first tally, a persistent Amherst attack created another chance in the 23rd minute, when a falling Sarah Duffy '14 (Fairfield, Conn.) fired a shot that rattled off the Tufts crossbar.
With 1:09 left in the half and the Lord Jeffs again going on the offensive, Tufts committed a critical error with a handball in the box. Presented with an opportunity to put Amherst ahead, Nathan calmly buried the ensuing penalty kick to stake the Jeffs to a 1-0 lead entering the intermission.
Trying to set the tone coming out of the break, the Jumbos won an early free-kick that led to a Lauren O'Connor '12 shot that prompted an Allie Horwitz '12 (Woodbridge, Conn.) save. Avoiding several close calls over the next 20 minutes of action, Tufts still found themselves down by one with under 19 minutes remaining.
Making a run down the left side, Jumbo senior Laney Siegner sent a well placed cross toward the back post, finding Maeve Stewart '14. Tracking down the pass, Stewart pushed it toward the Amherst net, but a closing Horwitz made the stop to preserve the Lord Jeff lead. Less than a minute later, Tufts again served Stewart in the box, but the sophomore forward couldn't control her first touch, with Horwitz coming forward to stifle the Jumbos' threat.
Hoping to put Tufts away, Amherst moved into the attacking third with under eight minutes left on the clock. Playing on the far side, first-year Mel Stier (Deerfield, Mass.) found Sisk on the left side of the box. Turning toward goal, the sophomore midfielder slotted her second marker in as many games into the right corner while falling to the turf, sealing the Amherst win.
Horwitz finished with a pair of saves en route to her seventh-straight victory and 16th career shutout, while Wright and junior Phoebe Hanley, who started the second half, each made three stops for the Jumbos in net.
