AMHERST, Mass. - Junior Amherst field hockey Co-captain Mairin Brady (Bethesda, MD) scored a first-half goal and added a second-half assist, as the host Jeffs used a 21-2 shot margin to overwhelm visiting Trinity College in a 3-0 Wednesday afternoon final on Hitchcock Field.
After the Jeffs dominated most of the first half offensively, they finally broke through with 3:50 remaining. On their seventh penalty corner of the opening frame, sophomore Jenna Obelsky (Stoughton, MA) sent a feed to the top of the circle, from where Brady unleashed a rocket that Bantam goalie Gwen Gillespie (Gate Mills, OH) never saw, giving the Jeffs the 1-0 lead just before halftime.
Behind Brady and Co-captain Gretchen Bowe (Hampstead, NH), the hosts continued to pressure the Trinity defense in the second half, extending their lead 10:52 after halftime. After a long ball down the right wing, Brady sent a feed into the right side of the penalty circle, and sophomore Abby Ouimet (Hatfield, MA) snuck a shot inside the left post for her fifth goal of the season, giving the Jeffs a two-goal cushion.
First-year Christine Ryan (Summit, NJ) sealed the outcome with just under six minutes remaining with her first career tally, converting a feed from fellow first-year Lauren Sozio (Milton, MA). The Bantams only had two good scoring threats all afternoon, and junior Beth Sensing (Hockessin, DE) turned them away both times en route to her 24th career shutout, her fourth of the 2000 season.
Gillespie posted 12 saves in the loss, as the Bantams managed only two penalty corners on the day, compared to 19 for the Jeffs. With the win, Amherst (8-1, 4-1) guarantees themselves a spot in the first-ever NESCAC tournament, a seven-team draw which opens three weeks from yesterday. The win for Amherst is only their third all-time against the Bantams, who hold a 20-3 lead in the series.
Next up for the Jeffs, ranked fifth in the nation in the latest NFHCA poll, is a Saturday showdown at Middlebury College, the 1998 NCAA champions. Trinity falls to 1-7 for the season (0-4 NESCAC), and is next in action on Saturday at Colby College.
| Amherst (8-1, 4-1) |
1 |
2 |
-- |
3 |
| Trinity (1-7, 0-4) |
0 |
0 |
-- |
0 |
Scoring:
A -- Mairin Brady '02 (3, Jenna Obelsky '03), 3:50 (1st);
A -- Abby Ouimet '03 (5, Brady), 24:08 (2nd);
A -- Christine Ryan '04 (1, Lauren Sozio '04), 5:52 (2nd);
Shots:
A -- 21, T -- 2;
Goaltending:
A (Beth Sensing '02, 70 min., 0 ga): 1 save
T (Gwen Gillespie, 70 min., 3 ga): 12 saves
Penalty Corners:
A -- 19, T -- 2; |
