WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – The second-seeded Amherst College women's soccer team scored a pair of goals in the second half to capture a 2-0 shutout over third-seeded Middlebury College Saturday afternoon in a NESCAC Semifinal contest at Cole field.

With the win, Amherst improves to 14-2-1 on the season, and advances to the NESCAC Finals tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 6 at 12 p.m. at Williams College. The Purple & White will take on fourth-seeded Trinity College after the Bantams upset top-seeded Williams in penalty kicks in semifinal action on Saturday. With the loss, Middlebury's overall record falls to 13-4-0 this fall.

Following a scoreless first half that featured a 7-5 shot advantage to Middlebury, the Purple & White tallied scores in the 51st and 61st minutes to secure the 2-0 victory.

Amherst opened the second half strong as Hannah Guzzi '18 nearly put the Purple & White on the board at the 49:01 mark after collecting a loose ball that deflected off goalkeeper Kate Reinmuth's hands, but her attempt missed wide left of the net.

Middlebury responded a minute later as Virginia Charman set up a Panther scoring opportunity after beating an Amherst defender and sending a well-placed pass to teammate Clare Robinson on the left post, however Robinson's slide tackle shot attempt was a step too late to put the Panthers on the board.

Continuing their offensive pressure, the Purple & White claimed a 1-0 edge at the 51:57 mark, as Maeve McNamara '19 settled the ball just beyond midfield and dished a pass up the wing to Rubii Tamen '19. Gaining inside positioning on a defender inside the 18, Tamen powered a shot on net, but Reinmuth was up to the task and made the diving stop. Unable to control the rebound, Guzzi was there tally her NESCAC-leading 15th goal of the season, as she sent the loose ball into the top left corner of the net.

Doubling Amherst's lead 10 minutes later, Tamen recorded her fifth of the year. Splitting two defenders with a long pass across midfield, Morgan Machiele '19 sent Tamen a leading pass that resulted in a breakaway opportunity.  Coming out of the net in a bid to cut down the angle and smother the ball, Reinmuth lost the footrace as Tamen sent a slid in and toed a shot from eight years out into the nylon for an Amherst insurance goal.

In the 71st minute, Middlebury's Emma Shumway and Katherine Hobbs each found space in the middle of the field and ripped shots from 15 yards out on goal, but Amherst goalkeeper Chelsea Cutler denied both the attempts.

Pressuring Amherst in the final minutes, the Panthers last scoring opportunity to cut the deficit in half came from Amanda Hotvedt who challenged two Purple & White defenders in the box, before firing a shot off her left foot, but her attempt sailed wide of the net.

GAME NOTES

• Cutler (12-2-1) tied a season-high with 10 saves in the winning effort for the Purple & White, while Reinmuth made three saves for the Panthers.
• Guzzi led all players in shots with five, including two shots on target, while Ashlyn Heller '17, Hayley Roy '20, and Tamen each added a shot on frame for Amherst.
• Katherine Hobbs led the Panthers' offense with four shots, all of which tested Cutler, while Hotvedt and Sabrina Glaser had two shots on goal in the loss.
• Middlebury edged Amherst in total shots, 17-12, while Amherst held a 2-1 advantage in corner kicks.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE                        

• With its 11th consecutive win, Amherst advances to the NESCAC Finals for the first time since 2011, and is tied for the second most consecutive wins in a season in program history.
• The Purple & White have totaled 38 scores this season, the most since the 2011 season when they won the NESCAC Championship.
• Guzzi now ranks third in program history for single-season goals with 15.