BRUNSWICK, Maine – The Amherst College field hockey team came out hot and carried their momentum through a hot-shooting game as they grabbed a 3-2 win over No. 11 Bowdoin College in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Ryan Field.
Amherst improved to 7-7 for the season and 3-6 in NESCAC play, while Bowdoin fell to 9-5 overall and 5-4 in the conference. Up next, the Mammoths will host Trinity College for their final game of the regular season on Tuesday at Hill Field, where they'll face the Bantams at 6 p.m.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*The Mammoth offense rocketed off to an early lead in the second minute as senior Molly Donegan dribbled around her defender and wove toward Bowdoin's left post. The forward's shot deflected off the chest of senior goaltender Lauren O'Donald, but senior Justine Liguori and junior Chloe Agopian were quick on the rebound. At point-blank range, Agopian swept the ball into the net to put the Mammoths ahead 1-0.
*Penalty corners in the third and ninth minutes gave Bowdoin an opportunity to equalize, but both chances went wide.
*Amherst secured its first corner set piece with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. Junior Maya Harrington inserted to first-year Bella Kim, who fired a slap shot toward the lower right corner, but a kick-save from O'Donald slowed Amherst's momentum.
*Junior Emily Ferguson notched Bowdoin's equalizer in the sixth minute of the second quarter. On a penalty corner, the ball traveled around a tangle of sticks before finding the stick of Ferguson at the right post, who quickly sank the ball into the net.
*Sophomore goaltender Kate Grady came up with a strong save six minutes into the third, kicking away a shot from junior Maddie Mrva.
*Off of a double corner sequence in the fourth minute of the final quarter, Liguori regained the lead for the Mammoths. The first attempt saw a shot from Kim glance just wide of the frame. On the second, Harrington inserted to Donegan, who then connected with senior Anna Aiello at the top of the arch. Aiello sent a sweeping shot toward the left post, which glanced off the stick of Liguori and into the goal.
*Just over one minute later, the Polar Bears leveled the game to 2-2 on a right-flank shot from senior Mackay Bommer into the left corner to send the game to overtime.
*Sophomore Emily Huehn showcased solid defensive work for the Mammoths three minutes into the overtime period, controlling a loose ball in front of the goal and dribbling away to safety.
*Liguori fired home the game-winning goal with two minutes remaining in overtime, receiving a pass from Huehn at the left post and turning to rocket a no-look shot into the left corner.
By The Numbers:
*Amherst held a slight offensive advantage against Bowdoin, going 12-10 in shots, 9-7 in shots on goal, and 6-6 on corners.
*Agopian, Liguori, and Mrva each led offensively with 3 shots each. In shots on goal, Agopian and Liguori fired the most of any player in the match, shooting 3 each.
*Across 67 minutes of goaltending, Grady made 5 saves and O'Donald made 6.
