at AMHERST, Mass. – An 81st-minute goal from first-year
Precious Novidzro lifted the Amherst College women's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Trinity College in the regular-season finale for both NESCAC squads on Tuesday evening at Gooding Field.
The Mammoths, ranked seventh in the nation in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division III poll, conclude the regular season at 13-1-1 after their sixth straight shutout win and finish atop the NESCAC standings for the third straight season with an 8-1-1 conference record. The Bantams fell to 7-5-3 overall and 4-4-2 in the NESCAC.
Amherst now enters the NESCAC Tournament as the top seed and will host eighth-seeded Tufts on Saturday (Oct. 28) at 12:30 p.m.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* The Bantams opened the game with a very striking start, using a high pressing system to put the Mammoths on the defensive and their back line under immense pressure. After about 25 minutes, the Mammoths acclimated to the high tempo and returned to their traditional passing style.
* Amherst tested Trinity goalkeeper Marina Cournoyer with two shots on goal in the first half that were both saved, matched equally by Trinity attempts on sophomore goalkeeper
LuLu Fickes, who was forced to make two pivotal saves in the first half.
* The second half was just as even as the first and the game got scrappier as the half went on, especially from the Trinity side, as the Bantams received two yellow cards and had 18 fouls to Amherst's 5 in the game.
* The lone goal came in the final 10 minutes of the game. Junior midfielder
Alyssa Huynh sent a ball looping through the air from just outside the box. A Trinity defender kept the ball airborne but Novidzro beat Cournoyer to the ball and slipped it into the net for the fifth goal of her rookie season.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Fickes made five saves to post her fourth shutout of the season.
* The Bantams had a 14-7 advantage in shots and a 5-3 edge in shots on goal.
* Corner kicks were 2-1 in favor of the Mammoths. Each corner led to a shot but none resulted in a goal.
