AMHERST, Mass. – Sophomore
Patience Kum scored and assisted on a goal as the #22 Amherst College women's soccer team overcame the Bowdoin College Polar Bears on Saturday afternoon on Hitchcock Field.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* After just five minutes, Amherst took the lead. Bowdoin initially had possession but pressure from Kum, who was sprinting towards the ball, forced their defender to pass the ball back to their goalkeeper, Alex Arndt, who was standing in front of the goal. Arndt attempted to roll the ball to a teammate, but, with impressive anticipation, Senior
Isabel Stern intercepted the ball before it reached a Polar Bear waiting around the sideline to receive the pass. After dribbling a few yards forwards, Stern cut the ball back to Kum, who dodged past two defenders with agile footwork. One-on-one with Arndt, Kum selflessly laid the ball across goal to Junior
Abby Schwartz, who tapped the ball into the empty goal to make the score 1-0. Amherst's top scorer Schwartz confidently netted her eighth goal of the season. The score remained 1-0 to Amherst for the rest of the first half.
* During the beginning of the second half, Amherst had total momentum. The Mammoths took five shots between the 51st and 58th minutes; one effort missed wide of the post, while the other attempts forced two defensive blocks and two saves by Arndt. The trend of the game changed rapidly after and Bowdoin crept back into the game to become the team more likely to score the next goal. With their third shot in five minutes - and their only shots of the game - the Polar Bears beat Amherst's goalkeeper,junior
Mika Fisher, to equalize.
* The equalizing goal had a short-lived effect as the game progressed, however, because the run of play changed again and - after being on the front foot for six minutes - Amherst got a second goal. Stern and Kum were involved again - on this occasion, Stern and sophomore
Sierra Rosado assisted Amherst's second-top scorer Kum to score her fifth goal of the season. Kum's goal was the last shot of the game and Amherst closed out the match expertly. Rosado possessed the ball at midfield and delivered an expertly paced ball down the left side of the attacking zone. Stern ran on to the ball and maneuvered her way around a defender. As the keeper came out to play Stern, the senior deftly slid the ball across the goalmouth to a wide open Kum, who tapped in for the game-winner.
* The Senior Day win made it three victories on the bounce for the Mammoths and it puts them second atop of the season's NESCAC standings.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Amherst now holds a 9-2-0 overall record (5-2-0 in NESCAC) for the season.
* Up next: Amherst will return to playing NESCAC opposition next Sunday. They will travel to Henniker in New Hampshire to take on the New England College Pilgrims at 12pm on the Don Melander Field.
* The Mammoths took 15 shots (8 on goal); Bowdoin had 10 attempts (3 on goal).
