WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The fourth-ranked Williams College field hockey team mounted a second-half comeback with a pair of goals Saturday, but the Ephs were not able to overcome an early three-goal deficit in a 3-2 setback against No. 15 Amherst on Williamson Field.

"It was a tale of two halves again," said 27th-year head coach Alix Barrale '93. "Unfortunately, we dug ourselves a hole early and spent the second half trying to catch up. Amherst came out on fire and had us on our heels. They had some power shots on their offensive corners and were successful at finding the back of the net. Bridget Lesch and Savoy McMahon played hard in goal."

The Mammoths (5-2, 2-2 NESCAC) scored three times off penalty corners in the opening 16 minutes, 47 seconds behind goals by Ella Kang, Bella Kim and Genevieve Caruso. The Ephs trimmed the deficit down to 3-1 with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter, as senior forward Claire Colvin inserted a corner from the left attacking side. Then, first-year defender Hannah Herlihy buried her team-leading fourth goal into the left side of the net.

The hosts kept chipping away and pulled with one at 3-2 during the 48th minute. Sophomore midfielder Katie Sigrist played a ball into a scrum inside the circle, and then senior forward Haley McAuslin's shot was denied by Mammoths' goalie Grace Puchalski. Colvin was able to corral the rebound and fire a shot into the back of the net.

The Ephs held a 15-10 lead in shots, including a 10-0 advantage during the second half. Each team attempted seven penalty corners, while Williams held an 8-7 lead in shots on goal. Puchalski made six saves in the winning effort for the visitors. Prior to Saturday's game, Williams had won the previous four matcups against Amherst.

"I am proud of the effort we made, especially in the second half when trailing by three," said Barrale. "Holding them to zero shots in the second half is impressive and says a lot about our tenacity. We will learn from this game and reset for the week ahead in preparation for another NESCAC matchup against Connecticut College."

The Ephs compete against Connecticut College on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m. during senior day festivities.