SPRINGFIELD, MA. – A goal and an assist from first-year standout Emma Darling lead the No. 23-ranked Amherst College women's soccer team to a 3-0 win on Tuesday, Sept. 23. Taking the short trip to Springfield to take on the Pride, the Mammoths hit paydirt early and walked away with a 3-0 victory.

With the win the Mammoths improve to 5-1-1 this season, while the Pride fall to 1-5. Amherst returns home this weekend with a NESCAC double header. Bates College is the first squad to visit Hitchcock Field at week's end, coming to town on Saturday, Sept. 27. Kickoff against the Bobcats is set for 12 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* The Mammoths hit the ground running, with the first goal of the contest coming just under 3 minutes into the game. Darling picked up the ball on right side about 35 yards from goal and darted by the first defender. The speedster easily turned the corner on the final Springfield player and slotted the ball to the far post for the 1-0 lead.   
 
* Despite putting immense pressure on their opponents, Amherst could not find the back of the net until just 10 minutes remained in the half. Caroline Coletti picked up the ball on the right sideline, beating her defender with some slick footwork and slid the ball into the box. Her cross deflected off a Springfield defender to the feet of Jessica Lomo, who calmly fired past the Pride goalkeeper to double to advantage heading into the half.
 
* Amherst did not rest on their laurels, again scoring in the first minutes of the half. This time, it took only 1:42 for the away side to net their third. Darling again blew by her defender, this time on the left sideline, sprinting to the endline and cutting the ball back to the penalty spot for Brook Ingemi. The senior put her defender in a blender, easily shielding her off the ball to face up and put the ball away for her first goal of the season. 3-0 Amherst.
 
* The Mammoths' next big chance came in the 72^nd minute, when Maya Siegel got to the endline and played a dangerous ball across the face of goal. The ball just barely slid by a lunging Allison Hayes at point-blank range and rolled harmlessly out of bounds.
 
* With just 7 minutes to go, the Pride drove the ball deep into Amherst's defensive third, and a hard challenge drew a penalty kick for the home team. First-year goalkeeper Molly Davidson was up to the task, diving to her left to deny Springfield's Kaitlyn Suller and keep the shutout alive. That is where the score would stand when the final whistle blew, with the Mammoths winning 3-0.
 
 
BY THE NUMBERS:
 
* Darling's three-point night brings her to 3 goals and 2 assists on the season for a team-leading 8 points.

* The Mammoths outshot the Pride 17-7 overall, including 11-2 in shots on goal. Ingemi lead the team with 4 total shots with 2 on goal.
 
* Lulu Fickes and Davidson each made 1 save on the day.