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WILLIAMSTOWN, MA. — No. 8 Amherst (7-1) scored twice on penalty corners in the first half en route to a 3-0 shutout win over rival Williams (4-5) Friday evening on Renzie Lamb Field.
Less than 10 minutes into the opening frame, Amherst (7-1, 5-1 NESCAC) took the lead when senior Chrissy Cantore scored the game-winning goal unassisted at 8:48. In the final penalty corner of the first half, teammate Katie McMahon picked up a deflection in traffic to lift her team to a 2-0 lead.
Though Williams (4-5, 1-4 NESCAC) outshot and nearly matched the Lord Jeffs in penalty corners in the second period, McMahon repeated her first period performance successfully finding the back of the cage for a second time subsequently elevating her team to a 3-0 lead that would remain until the final buzzer.
From the outset of the first, the Lord Jeffs predominately held offensive control outshooting Williams 12-2 and tallying 10 penalty corners to the Ephs' 2. Amherst made good on an early shot attempt 8:48 into the frame when Cantore guided the ball past sophomore Eph goalie Ariana Spiliotes (Bethesda, MD) following a series of shot attempts by the Lord Jeffs. As the clock ran down in the first, Amherst clinched a last penalty corner opportunity and McMahon scored off a deflected shot by senior teammate Sarah McCarrik giving the Jeffs a 2-0 advantage going into the second.
Williams started the second with a renewed sense of urgency as a back and forth battle for offensive possession ensued for the game's remaining 35 minutes. Within the first ten minutes of the frame, first-years Cary Hairfield (Richmond, VA) and Caitlin Conlon (Sudbury, Mass.) each created one-on-one shot opportunities on goal that were thwarted by first-year Amherst goalkeeper Rachel Tannenbaum (Berwyn, Penn.). At 54:45 McMahon scored again unassisted giving the Lord Jeffs their final 3-0 advantage for the evening. The Ephs edged Amherst in shots, 7-6, and nearly matched the Lord Jeffs in penalty corners 3-4.
Spiliotes totaled 8 saves for the night and allowed 3 goals, while Tannenbaum tallied 5 with no goals allowed. Each spent the full 70 minutes in goal.
Head coach Alix Barrale commented on the game, "We really competed with Amherst in the second half, but it wasn't enough to overcome our hesistant play at the beginning. They are a great team and really reflect the collective strength of this season's NESCAC conference."
Williams will play again next Saturday at Tufts at noon.
