Contact: Ben Badua
CLERMONT, FLA. - Extending its win streak to five, the eighth-ranked Amherst women's lacrosse team remained unbeaten (5-0, 3-0 NESCAC) with a 9-6 win over No. 16 Hamilton College at the National Training Center.
Meghan Mills '15 paced the Jeffs with three goals, while Krista Zsitvay '14 had a pair of scores to go along with an assist. Rachel Passarelli '16 also netted a pair of goals, while Mia Haughton '16 and Elizabeth Ludlow '14 each had a goal and an assist.
Getting the Jeffs off to a fast start, Passarelli scored twice in the game's first 5:17, recording an unassisted marker just two minutes after the opening draw before doubling the margin with a goal at 24:43. Less than three minutes later, Haughton extended the lead, notching her fifth of the season off of an Alex Philie '14 assist.
After a Mills score made it 4-0 in favor of the Jeffs, Casey File '17 put the Continentals on the board with 17:07 to go before the intermission. Kathryn Maiorano '14 then netted consecutive tallies just 1:09 apart to trim the deficit to 4-3, but a pair of Mills and Zsitvay free position goals in the final 6:45 of the frame gave Amherst a three-score cushion.
Midway through the second, Zsitvay struck again, this time thanks to a Ludlow helper. Katie D'Antonio '14 and Nora Klemmer '17 responded with goals over a span of just 3:06, but that was as close as Hamilton would get with the Jeffs recording two more scores in the contest's final three minutes.
In addition to her game-high three goals, Mills led the Jeffs with three ground balls, while Priscilla Tyler '15 won three draws. With Hamilton finishing with a 24-20 shot advantage, sophomore goalkeeper Christy Forrest made 14 saves en route to her fifth victory.
Maiorano paced the Continentals with a pair of scores, while Ann Pooley '16, Alice Grant '14 and Hannah Withiam '16 each had two ground balls. File led the team with four draw controls, while goalie Kari Koga '15 finished with six stops.
The Jeffs return to action on Wed. Mar. 26 at Wheaton.
