MEDFORD, Mass. – A goal in the final seconds of the fourth quarter was not enough this Saturday afternoon for the Mammoths in the NESCAC Tournament Quarterfinal against Tufts University. The 19th-ranked Amherst College field hockey team was defeated by 4th-ranked Tufts University on Ounjian Field. This loss will conclude the 2024 season for the Mammoths.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* An early goal from Tufts' Hannah Biccard at 10:42 resulted in the Mammoths playing catch up for the majority of the game, having to play tight defense while simultaneously attempting to tie the score.
* The Mammoths defense defended a rocket fired by Tufts' offense, ensuring that the Jumbos would not put another point on the board in the first half of the game.
* The Mammoths gained momentum in the final quarter, with
Abbey Kays,
Justine Liguori and
Sam Maynard firing a combined total of five shots that were all deflected by the Tufts defense.
* The Mammoths' aggressive offense paid off when
Isa Lattuada passed the ball to
Caroline Busler, who scored her sixth goal of the season at 59:46 with only fourteen seconds remaining on the clock. This goal would send the Mammoths into overtime.
* In the second round of overtime,
Grace Puchalski successfully blocked six shots from the Jumbos. Neither team scored a goal, but Tufts' performance in the shootout led to the defeat of the Mammoths.
* The two overtime periods concluded without either team scoring. A shootout took place, and Tufts' Andrea DelGiudice, Kylie Rosenquest and Hannah Murray all made their attempts.
Maya Harrington, Maynard and
Genevieve Caruso shot for the Mammoths and narrowly missed their attempts.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Puchalski racked up a total of 13 saves for the Mammoths, while Lydia Eastburn made three saves to earn the win for the Jumbos.
* Both teams were active in earning penalty corners, with Amherst tallying five in the game with four in the fourth quarter alone. Tufts earned nine penalty corners throughout the game, consistently challenging the Mammoths' defense.
