BRUNSWICK, ME - The second-seeded Amherst College women's soccer team exploded for six goals in a shutout win over fourth-seeded Bates College in the NESCAC Championship game, held at Bowdoin College Sunday. The Jeffs secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the win, as junior Ashley Harmeling (N. Reading, MA) broke the Amherst single-season goals record with her 16th, 17th and 18th scores of the year. Also finding the net for Amherst, ranked 20th in the nation at 10-3-4, was sophomore Kaitlin Hill (Andover, MA), junior Lee-Jay Henry (Springfield, MA) and first-year Amy Armstrong (Avon, CT).

Hill started the onslaught just over 20 minutes into regulation, when junior Tracy Montigny (East Granby, CT) found her for her first career goal. Harmeling doubled the Jeffs' lead at 30:10 off junior Adrienne Showler's (Ottawa, Onterio) fourth assist of the year, and found the back of the net again just 1:40 later off a feed from senior tri-captain Jenny Rossman (Newton, MA), breaking Cathy Poor's '02 school record of 16 goals in a season, set in 2001. Armstrong found Henry for her first goal of the year to give Amherst a 4-0 lead at the break. The Jeffs did not let up in the second half as Harmeling completed the hat trick off a feed from Henry in the 67th minute, and with just under 15 minutes remaining, senior tri-captain Kay Bradley (Freeport, ME) dished out her second assist of the season on Armstrong's first career goal.

Amherst first-year Jeanette Crowell (San Rafael, CA) played 81 scoreless minutes in goal, collecting five saves, and sophomore Emily Durwood (Shawnee Mission, KS) finished off the Jeffs' sixth shutout of the year. Bates senior goalkeeper Lynne Antinarelli and first-year Kaitlin Hyde shared time in goal collecting seven and two saves, respectively, as Bates fell to 12-3-2 with the loss.

Amherst's seeding and first-round opponent in the 2003 NCAA Tournament will be announced Sunday night.