AMHERST, MA - The Amherst College field hockey team surprised Springfield College, the No. 3 ranked team in the nation, with a 2-0 shutout victory at Hitchcock Field on Tuesday.
The Jeffs were dominant from the beginning, jumping ahead with a goal early, while only allowing Springfield one shot in the entire game.
The initial goal came a mere 77 seconds into the match. Senior tri-captain Marcy Busch (Scarsdale, NY) maneuvered around a defender and found herself free on the left baseline, before rolling a pass across the middle to a wide open Robin Ackerman (Princeton, NJ) who slid it in the net for a 1-0 Amherst lead.
The Jeffs continued to put pressure on Springfield, not allowing them to cross midfield in the first 12 minutes of the game. The strong attack resulted in strong scoring chances from Laurie Smith (Wilmington, DE), Abby Ouimet (Hatfield, MA) and Busch, before the Jeffs broke through again with only 13 seconds remaining in the first half. A shot by Ouimet was stopped by Springfield goalie Liz Sena, but sophomore Christine Ryan (Summit, NJ) pounced on the rebound and shot it into the net for a 2-0 Amherst lead.
The second half saw Amherst continue to contain the Springfield offense, allowing the only shot of the game from the Pride with 15 minutes remaining. Amherst goalie Beth Sensing (Hockessin, DE) had no saves, while Springfield goalie Liz Sena made five stops, before being relieved by Lindsay Pardue who made three saves.
Amherst returns to action Thursday when it visits W.P.I. for a 7:15 night game.
| Springfield (5-2) |
0 |
0 |
-- |
0 |
| Amherst (2-1/1-1) |
2 |
0 |
-- |
2 |
Scoring:
1st
A - Robin Ackerman (Marcy Busch) 33:43
A - Christine Ryan (unassisted) 00:13
2nd
none
Goaltending:
A - Beth Sensing (70:00, 0 GA, 0 saves)
S - Liz Sena (48:20, 2 GA, 5 saves)
S - Lindsay Pardue (21:40, 0 GA, 3 saves)
Shots: A - 13, S - 1;
Penalty Corners: A - 9, S - 2
