AMHERST, Mass. – Senior Anna Aiello and first-year Bella Kim each notched two goals apiece on Wednesday night, surging the Amherst College field hockey team past Smith College for a 6-1 victory on Pride Night at Hill Field.
Amherst improved to 6-6 on the season while Smith leveled to a 7-7 record. The Mammoths will remain at home to celebrate their four seniors in a Senior Day challenge against Hamilton College at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*Amherst came out firing in the first quarter, locking four of their first seven shots on goal. First-year goaltender Iseul Park saved all four of the would-be shots, including two at close range from junior Chloe Agopian.
*The Mammoths got on the scoreboard early in the second stanza as first-year Emma Zhang dribbled around the right side of the arch in the fourth minute, then sent a cross into the stick of Aiello in front of the goal. The forward took a few touches, then rocketed home a backhand into the bottom left corner.
*Senior Justine Liguori picked up Amherst's second goal four minutes later. Stationed in front of the cage, Liguori received a well-placed through-ball from sophomore Caroline Busler. The midfielder navigated around Park, sliding a diving shot into the bottom right corner to make it 2-0.
*Liguori connected with Kim to make it 3-0 with five minutes remaining in the quarter. Weaving toward the left post, Liguori passed through a web of defenders and into the stick of Kim, who tapped the ball into the back of the net.
*The first half closed with a strong goaltending effort from Park on a penalty stroke. Junior Katie Kantrovitz fired toward the upper middle of the cage, but Park's extended glove batted away the attempt.
*Three minutes out of the break, Amherst put the pressure on quickly as junior Maya Harrington inserted to Aiello, who connected around the circle before receiving the ball again in front of the goal for a quick shot into the cage, 4-0.
*Senior Molly Donegan had a hand in the second goal of the quarter as the forward picked off a Smith pass, then found Liguori inside the circle. Bussler powered in Liguori's rebound to extend Amherst's lead to 5-0.
*First-year Nyla Flamer retaliated with six minutes remaining in the third, sliding home a loose ball in front of Amherst's cage to score on Smith's first shot of the night and earn her first collegiate goal.
*Two minutes into the fourth, Amherst scored the final goal of the day on a shot from Kim with an assist at the right post by Liguori.
BY THE NUMBER:
*The Mammoths dominated offensively, leading 22-3 in shots, 14-3 in shots on goal, and 10-1 in penalty corners taken.
*Liguori connected for the most assists of any player, notching 3. Aiello and Kim shared for the most goals scored, each finding 2.
*Junior Grace Puchalski made 2 saves across 60 minutes of play, while Park made 7 saves across the 60-minute frame.
