WALTHAM, Mass. – The No. 13 Amherst College women's soccer team suffered a season-ending loss to No. 1 William Smith in a NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen contest, 4-2 at Brandeis' Gordon Field Saturday afternoon.

With the loss, Amherst concludes the 2016 season with an overall record of 17-3-1, its best since the 2011 season, while the Herons improve to 21-0-0 and advance to take on Brandeis University in Elite Eight action.

The Purple & White recorded a historic season in 2016, totaling 50 goals - which ranks fourth in school history – and accumulating 17 total wins - second most in the history of the program.

In an evenly matched first half in which both sides took six shots each, both teams recorded an own goal just over five minutes apart as Amherst stopped William Smith's shutout streak at 14.

Amherst claimed a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute of play following a free kick from 30-yards out. Tabbed to take the attempt, Erin McClave '20 powered a ball inside the box that ricocheted off a Heron defender and trickled into the back of the goal.

Responding five minutes later, Megan Richard sent a crossed ball towards the net that deflected off an Amherst defender and bounced just beyond the reach of Chelsea Cutler '19 to even the score at 1-1.

Taking back momentum, the Purple & White reclaimed the lead under a minute later as Hannah Guzzi '18 registered her 19th goal of the season on an Ashlyn Heller '17 assist. Ripping a shot on target, Guzzi found nylon just inside the far post to give the Purple & White a 2-1 edge with 14:28 to play in the opening half.

Guzzi made three consecutive attempts in the 36th minute in an effort to extend Amherst's lead to two, but it was Heron Shay Callahan who netted the game's next goal.

Capitalizing on a corner kick at the 38:51 mark, Theresa Lohr lofted a well-placed ball into the box, before Richard headed a pass to Callahan on the far post for an easy tap-in goal.

Coming out of intermission with the score knotted at 2-2, William Smith quickly notched back-to-back goals to take a 4-2 lead.

Brie Ruane made it a 3-2 contest in the 58th minute, collecting a near perfect pass from Kara Shue on the left side before putting a finishing touch on the ball to give the Herons their first lead of the game.

Shue registered her second assist of the game, and 15th on the season, exactly one minute later as she crossed a ball to Evie Manning in front the goal. Gathering the pass, Manning drilled an uncontested shot into the netting to give William Smith an insurance tally at the 59:13 mark.

The Herons were awarded a penalty kick in the 67th minute following an Amherst foul inside the box, but Bridget Westerman was unable to convert on the attempt as she sailed her shot high of the goal.

The Purple & White created a scoring opportunity late in the game in a bid to pull within one, but Westerman's got her foot on back-to-back shots to block both attempts before clearing the ball with nine minutes remaining.

GAME NOTES

• William Smith held a 14-12 advantage in shot differential, while Amherst owned a 6-4 edge in corner kicks.
• Guzzi led all players in shots with five, while Rubii Tamen '19 attempted three shots in the matchup.
• Callahan, Shue, and Manning each recorded a multi-shot games, with the players registering three, two, and two shots, respectively.
• Chelsea Cutler (15-3-1) turned away five shots in the loss for the Purple & White, while Veronica Romines (18-0-0) registered four saves to remain undefeated.

BEYOND THE SCORE

• Guzzi tied the single-season goal record with her 19th tally of the season and set the programs new record in most points in a single-season with 43.