WILLIAMSTOWN, MASS– Ephs fell just short in an amazing rivalry battle that showcased two solid defenses and clinical offenses. The game finished in double overtime where Amherst found the winning goal with a minute left.
Both teams came out strong within the first five minutes of the game. Both defenses and offenses showed their talent. Claudia Russell had the best attempt from both teams when she rattled the crossbar from a free position. A few moments later, the Ephs defense came up huge and forced a Mammoth's turnover that led to the game's first goal, scored by Grace Collier and assisted by Lily Warendorf. The Mammoths tied it up a few seconds later, courtesy of Eliza Marcus.
The Mammoths took the lead with 3:25 left in the first quarter, thanks to a goal from Lauren Friedman. They added another one when the previous goal scorer Lauren Friedman found her teammate Becky Kendall for the goal. The Ephs cut the Mammoth's lead in half after Claudia Russell made an unbelievable pass to Allison Norris, who tucked the ball into the top right corner.
The Mammoths regained their two-goal advantage with 12:09 left in the half after a controversial yellow card given to the Ephs set up a free position opportunity that Marina Bevacqua scored. Shea van Den Broek brought the Ephs within one after Lily Warendorf found her on the cutting run and van Den Broek slotted it into the right side of the goal.
Eph's goalie Caitlyn Joyce kept the Ephs within one through the duration of the second quarter after making some spectacular stops. However, the Mammoths broke through after Marina Bevacqua found Becky Kendall for the goal right before halftime.
The Ephs came out firing in the second half, and after a great defensive stop, the Ephs sprinted up the field, and Shea van Den Broek found Abby Godwin, who scored to cut the Mammoth's lead in half. The Mammoths responded after a three-second call set them up for a free-position opportunity that Becky Kendall capitalized on to take a 6-4 lead. After a low-scoring few minutes in the contest, the Ephs finally broke the deadlock. Claudia Russell scored a crafty free-position goal which brought the Ephs within one.
The Ephs fought back in the third quarter to bring the game within one going into the game's final period. The story of the third quarter was the strong defense by both teams, which kept it a low-scoring affair. The final quarter would decide who walked away with the rivalry victory.
The fourth quarter began similarly with both teams playing strong defense. The Ephs got the first word in the fourth quarter when Isabel Arvelo blew past the entire Mammoth's defense and shot low into the corner to tie the game with eight minutes remaining in the game. Moments later, the Ephs took the lead when Claudia Russell received a pass from Christina Halloran and, with contact, ripped a blistering shot into the goal. The Mammoths equalized a minute later through Mariana Bevacqua.
The last few minutes of regulation demonstrated the consistent unbelievable defense throughout the game. OT began with a superb save from Caitlyn Joyce and a great defensive stand from the Ephs to force a second overtime. The Mammoths found a goal with just under a minute left in the double overtime to win the game. The Ephs had an outstanding performance on the day, led by unbelievable defense from Claire Wierman, Molly Hellman, Kelsey Richter, and Claire Newhall.
"Different people were stepping up in different ways, our defense really stepped up, it was a hard fought game between two really good teams" stated Coach Alice Lee post-game.
The Ephs will look to bounce back at home against Endicott College on Wednesday, April 20th at 6:30 PM.
