DUBUQUE, IA. -- A devastating team-wide defensive effort lifted the #18th-ranked Amherst College women's soccer team into the NCAA Tournament Div. III quarterfinals Saturday as the Mammoths blanked the Illinois Institute of Technology, 3-0, at Loras College's Rock Bowl.
The Mammoths, now 14-1-6 on the season, will face Emory University back at the Rock Bowl Sunday at 4 p.m. for the right to advance to the Div. III Final Four. Emory advanced past host Loras in penalty kicks in Saturday's first game. It is the first trip to the NCAA quarterfinals since 2011 for Amherst.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* The early portion of Saturday's main event was like two heavyweight boxers feeling each other out, but as the half wore on, it was the Mammoths who began to assert their will on the Scarlet Hawks, showcasing their possession skills in the midfield, and winning the majority of balls back.
* Finally, with 11:56 left in the half, the Mammoths broke through.
Ella Johnson lofted a beautiful corner kick into the center of the box, where it collided with four or five heads and bounced back a few yards to Mammoth sophomore
Precious Novidzro, who grounded the ball with her foot and sent it forward to the six. Mammoths senior sniper
Abby Schwartz was there to quickly re-direct the ball into the far lower left corner of the goal to give the Mammoths a 1-0 lead.
* Just under 90 seconds later, ITT nearly found the equalizer when Kayla Smith created some space for herself at the stop of the box and ripped a shot toward the upper 90 on the right side of the goal, but Mammoth keeper
Mika Fisher made a diving, leaping grab to keep it a 1-0 Amherst lead.
* With 4:52 to go in the half,
Halle Hanna deftly won the ball in the left corner of the Scarlet Hawks third, swung the ball to
Katie O'Reilly, who one-touched it to Novidzro. The sophomore rocketed a shot on goal that ITT keeper Sarah Thomas made a diving stop of, but the rebound bounced off to the right and to the foot of
Jessica Lomo, who calmly buried a shot into the back of the net for a 2-0 Amherst lead.
* The second half was much the same tune as the first, with the Mammoths frustrating ITT by clogging the passing lanes and possessing the ball at great length. With around 19 minutes to go,
Ella Watkins dispossessd a Hawk near midfield and made run into the ITT third, sliding a pass to
Sophia Haynes. Haynes cut between two defenders and slid the ball to Hanna, who fed it right back to Haynes as she sped past two defenders as she turned toward the ball, creating a 1 v. 1 with Thomas. Haynes shot to the far right post actually hit the post and bounced away.
* Shortly thereafter ITT had its best chance of the night and a beautiful through ball by Kayla Smith sent Caitie Chrismarich in on Fisher, who rn out to cut down the angle. However, Chrismarich's shot slid under Fisher and appeared to be headed into the goal when Mammoth defender
Ella Johnson came swooping in from the right side to sweep the ball out of harms way.
* The Mammoths put the icing on the cake in the 89th minute when Haynes was fouled in the box, resulting on a penalty kick for senior
Fiona Bernet. Bernet made the boot, going top shelf on the left, for a 3-0 Amherst lead.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Amazingly, the Mammoths limited ITT to 5 shots in the game, and only two on frame. Fisher finished with two saves for the Mammoths.
* Amherst held a 12-5 edge in shots and a 6-1 edge in corner kicks on the day.
