Box Score AMHERST, Mass. – Junior Emily Hester scored her first goal of the season with just 15 seconds remaining in regulation as the 18th-ranked Amherst College women's soccer team defeated NESCAC opponent Middlebury College 2-1 Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the Purple & White improve to 4-0-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the NESCAC, while the Panthers fall to 1-1-1 on the year and 0-1-1 in league play.
In a hard-fought contest, neither team was able to get on the board in the first 45 minutes of action despite nine total shots between the side
The home team's best offensive chance of the half came eight minutes into play when first-year Rubii Tamen collected a pass from Megan Kim '16 and rifled a shot on net from just outside the box that forced Panther netminder Kate Reinmuth to make a diving save to her left.
With just over a minute left in the half, Middlebury's Emma Shumway nearly gave her team the advantage, finding the ball in a skirmish in front of the Amherst net and sending a shot towards goal that just narrowly went wide.
The Purple & White would break the 0-0 deadlock in the 58th-minute, with Hannah Guzzi '18 tallying her team-leading third goal of the season. Gathering the inbound corner kick, Hester sent a pass to Guzzi at the top of the box who blasted a hard, low shot past the Panther keeper.
Middlebury would even the score 20 minutes later. After a shot by Katherine Hobbs forced Holly Burwick '16 off her feet to make the save, Emma Shumway was able to race past the Amherst backline and drill the rebound into the back of the goal.
With 15 seconds on the clock and the game seeming as if it would head to overtime, a well-placed ball by Rachael Abernethy '16 down the right sideline met the feet of Hester whose shot from just inside the box beat Reinmuth to her right.
Amherst held the advantage in both shots and corner kicks, 15-9 and 8-5, respectively. Reinmuth was credited with five saves for the Panthers in the matchup, while Burwick registered five saves in the winning effort.
The Purple & White return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 26 when they travel to Williamstown to take on NESCAC and Little Three rival Williams College at 11 a.m.
