Contact: Justin Long

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – The 11th-ranked Amherst College field hockey team held a 33-9 advantage in shots but needed an overtime goal from Katie McMahon '13 (Denville, N.J.) to escape with a 4-3 win at Mount Holyoke College Wednesday evening. 

The Lord Jeffs improve to 5-1 on the season and 27-6-3 all-time against Mount Holyoke, having won the past eight meetings with the Lyons. 

McMahon also had two assists in the win, while Krista Zsitvay '14 (New Vernon, N.J.), Alex Philie '14 (East Sandwich, Mass.) and Carly Dudzik '12 (Darien, Conn.) added a goal apiece. Zsitvay has now recorded at least one goal in each of Amherst's five wins this season. 

After a scoreless first half it took Philie only 2:34 to put Amherst on the board, with the assist going to McMahon on a penalty corner. Shara Robertson tied things up five minutes later, but Dudzik's goal followed at 45:42 to hand the lead back to the visitors, with McMahon once again picking up the assist. 

Amherst took advantage of another penalty corner when Philie fed Zsitvay to bump Amherst's lead to 3-1 with 18:56 remaining in regulation. The Jeffs seemed to have the game wrapped up with a two-goal lead and just over six minutes to go, but Stephanie Slysz and Jess Fajardo scored at 63:51 and 67:30 to make it a 3-3 game and force overtime. 

It took the Lord Jeffs 8:26 to find the winner, as McMahon dribbled around a defender and slid a shot past Mount Holyoke's Katie Gibson. It marked the second overtime winner of McMahon's career, as she wrapped up last year's 2-1 win over Trinity in the regular season finale.  

The Lord Jeffs held a 16-1 advantage in shots in the first half and an 8-1 edge in overtime, but the hosts were out-shot by only two (9-7) in the second period. Amherst attempted 21 penalty corners in the game and surrendered only five. 

Rachel Tannenbaum '15 (Berwyn, Pa.) made two saves and improved to 5-1 for the Jeffs, while Gibson stopped 12 shots but dropped to 5-2. Amherst will host ninth-ranked Tufts University this Saturday at noon on Gooding Field.