AMHERST, Mass. – The No. 9 Amherst College field hockey team earned an early goal but ultimately fell 2-1 to No. 7 Bates College on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field.
Amherst dropped to 3-4 for the season and 1-3 in NESCAC play. Bates improved to an 8-0 record, leading 4-0 in the conference. The Mammoths will get back into action against Colby College on Sunday, facing the Mules at 12 p.m. on Hill Field.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
*After a scoreless first three minutes of the game, the Mammoths pounded home the first goal of the afternoon in the fourth minute, led off by a pass across the circle from first-year Emma Zhang and a rebound finish from senior Molly Donegan.
*Amherst looked to extend its lead with a powerful backhand shot from Zhang outside the arch in the eleventh minute, but a strong save from sophomore goaltender Ava Donohue denied the opportunity.
*A penalty corner set up the Bobcats' equalizer in the third minute of the second stanza as senior Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg possessed at the top of the arch, then powered the ball towards the right post, where it was tapped in by senior Lucy Norris.
*Bates broke the stalemate six minutes later on another corner set piece. Sophomore Caroline Nowak slotted to junior Amy LaBelle, who took one touch, then rocketed the ball through a web of players and into the cage to make it 2-1 for the visitors.
*The Mammoths earned two successive corners five minutes into the third quarter, but two well-placed clearances from junior Haley Dwight on the goal line helped Bates preserve its lead.
*As Amherst battled for an equalizer, junior goaltender Grace Puchalski displayed strong work from between the posts, pawing away a shot in the eighth minute of the fourth quarter.
*Junior Genevieve Caruso received a pass in front of the cage and turned to fire a scooping shot towards the net with just over five minutes left, but the outstretched glove of Donohue sent the ball wide.
*With eight seconds left, first-year Bella Kim battled through three defenders inside the circle to draw a final set piece for the Mammoths. Sophomore Emily Huehn's shot drew a second corner, which then saw Kim fire towards the goal, but Donohue kicked the ball away to close the contest 2-1.
BY THE NUMBERS:
*Amherst led offensively, going 10-5 in shots and 5-4 in penalty corners. Busler, Donegan, Caruso, and Moloney-Kolenberg each led with two shots apiece.
*Donohue made 6 saves across 60 minutes, Puchalski made 1 save across 25 minutes, and sophomore Kate Grady made 0 saves across 30 minutes.
