HARTFORD, CT. – Despite a second half surge, No. 13-ranked Amherst College women's lacrosse team fell to in their final game of the 2024 regular season on Wednesday, April 24. Taking on No. 19 Trinity with their place in the NESCAC tournament on the line, the Bantams piled on the goals in the first half to down the Mammoths 13-11.

With the loss, the Mammoths fell to 8-7 this season, and 4-6 in NESCAC play, while Trinity improved to 8-7, and 4-6 in the conference. When play concluded on Wednesday, the Mammoths had sealed a berth in the NESCAC Tournament, and will take the field on Saturday, April 27.  They will face an opponent to be determined, traveling to a NESCAC rival looking extend their season.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* The Bantams got things going right away, taking control of the game early with three straight goals to open the contest. Amherst began to eat away at the deficit a few minutes later, with a crease-roll goal from Rachel Rogers putting the Mammoths on the score board. However, two more goals from the Bantams put the Mammoths in a 5-1 hole late in the first. A goal from Bridget Finley off a feed from Clara Sosa brought Amherst back within three goals, ending the quarter on a high note, and the Mammoths went into the second down 5-2.
                                                             
* However, the second quarter started much like the first, with a goal from the Bantams making it 6-2. But again, the Mammoths responded to stay within striking distance. This time, the goal came from Emma Crotty, who received a slick feed from Rodgers at point blank range and finished her opportunity to narrow the Bantam advantage. But the Bantams again fired back, retaking a four-goal lead, at 7-3.


* Amherst again narrowed the advantage to three by way of Morgan Lebek. After a rocket from Finley hit the crossbar, Lebek gathered the rebound and netted her first of the season make it 7-4. But three seemed to be anything but the charm for the Mammoths, who again gave up a goal to go down four, and then surrendered two more to go down six, at 10-4, heading into the half.
 
* Whatever was said at halftime seemed to have sparked the Mammoths, as Mia Raven earned and scored a free-position opportunity just 25 seconds in to eat into the Bantam lead. But their failure to score multiple goals in a row hurt them once again --- Trinity, who were scoring back-to-back tallies all night, did it again, giving them a 12-5 advantage with 6:05 left in the third.
 
* Ella Shay got Amherst on the board for the second time in the quarter on another free-position shot to halt the Trinity run, and Finley made it three free-position scores in the quarter with one of her own. This started a Mammoths' run that Sosa extended with a buzzer-beating tally off a beautiful cut to drop the lead to four and give the away side the momentum heading into the final quarter of play down 12-8.
 
* Two big saves in 20 seconds by Caroline Stole, and another two minutes later kept the deficit at four, and the score held there until the 10:03 mark. It was then that Kate Becker potted Amherst's fourth free-position goal of the second half to again bring the Trinity lead to just three, 12-9. But just like in the first half, the Mammoths could not get the deficit below three, with Trinity scoring its first goal in 15 minutes of game time to extend the margin back to four with 7:27 to go in the game.
 
* As the game entered clutch time, Finley got her third goal of the night from the far side of the arc to again draw the Mammoths within three, 13-10. Raven got her second of the night with 2:54 left, tallying the Mammoths' sixth free position goal of the half to finally narrow the Trinity lead to two. However, the clock just ran out on the Mammoths, and the game would end with Amherst falling 13-11.
 
 
BY THE NUMBERS:

* Finley led the Mammoths with three points on three goals against Trinity. Raven (two goals), Rogers (one goal, one assist), Becker (one goal, one assist), and Sosa (one goal, one assist) had two points each.
 
* Sophomore Jessye Salmon made four saves, and senior Stole also made 4 on the day.
 
* Raven led the Mammoths with four ground balls and two caused turnovers.