CLINTON, NY – A 5-point performance from junior Mia Raven paced the No. 14 ranked Amherst women's lacrosse team as they began their 2026 campaign on the road on Saturday, Feb. 28. Coming off a 2025 season in which they earned an at large berth to the NCAA tournament, the Mammoths took the trip to Clinton, N.Y. to take on Hamilton. After the Continentals drew within one with just over 5 minutes to go, two late goals sealed a 12-9 victory.
 
With the win, Amherst improves to 1-0 on the year while the Continentals fall to 0-1 The Mammoths will return to Pratt Field for their home opener next weekend, with No. 2 Tufts coming to town on Saturday, March 7 for a battle between two of the top teams in the country. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* Hamilton took a quick 2-0 lead with Amherst's offense unable to find a rhythm, turning the ball over twice and Continentals' goaltender Eliza Schwartz making multiple saves right on the doorstep. Amherst goaltender Lily Samoska, the 2025 NESCAC Rookie of the Year made four saves early to maintain the margin.

* That allowed the Mammoths to get their opening goal. They picked up right where they left off last season, with 2025 assist leader Kate Becker controlling the offense at X and finding 2025 scoring leader Emily Petersen slicing towards the crease. Petersen caught the pass and fired past Schwartz for her first goal of the year; she got her second just 2:30 later off another Becker assist to make it 2-2 into the second quarter.

* The game swung in the Mammoths' favor after a two-minute unreleasable penalty on the Continentals. They put 4 goals in the back of the net in 2:15 of game time, part of a 6-0 run spanning two quarters. First, Petersen secured her hattrick with an unassisted woman-up tally. Just 45 seconds later, Bridget Finley scored on the woman-up off an assist from Becker, before Emma Crotty got her first of the year from Raven. Finley's second of the day finished the Amherst run.

* Then, Hamilton went on a run of their own, scoring 3 unanswered to narrow the advantage to one with 13.2 seconds to go in the half. With the score seemingly at 6-5 heading into the break, the Mammoths got the draw and hit Raven on the 20-yard line. She took a few steps inside and found Bridget Darcy just in front of the crease. Darcy caught the ball and fired, netting a buzzer-beating goal to make it 7-5 at the half.

* The two teams continued their offensive battle into the third. Hamilton scored first; Raven responded with two of her own. Both came unassisted, the first from isolating her defender going to goal, and the second as she got hit during a spin dodge and netted while falling to the turf. Darcy scored a woman-up goal and the Continentals hit a free position to cut it to 10-7 after three quarters.

*  However, just like in the second frame, Hamilton stormed back to within one, first scoring with 13:47 to go and netting again with 5:48 left to make it 10-9. But again, the Mammoths' offensive threats were up to the task. Clara Sosa put the team on her back, scoring twice in the next two minutes to put the game out of reach. The final horn sounded, and Amherst walked away with a 12-9 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* The Mammoths outshot the Continentals 31-22 overall and 24-12 in shots on goal.
 
* Raven did it all against Hamilton: she tallied 2 goals, 3 assists and 4 draw controls on the day. Petersen also tallied 8 draw controls in addition to her 3 goals, and Becker notched 4 assists.

* Sophomore goalie Lily Samoska made 8 saves on the day, including 4 in the first quarter alone.