AMHERST, Mass. -- Only 13 seconds from overtime, the #5 Amherst College field hockey team saw its bid for the 2022 NESCAC Tournament championship come to an end Saturday at Hill Field when Williams College forward Kiki Higgins scored to lift the Ephs to a 2-1 victory.
The Mammoths fell to 12-4 with the defeat, while Williams improved to 12-4.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* The quarterfinal was an intense defensive battle for 60 minutes. There were only 10 shots in the game, four on goal. In the first quarter, Amherst's
Abbey Kays fired a shot from the top of the circle that just went wide to the left. In the second quarter, the momentum swung a bit to the visitors, who created all four of their penalty corners in those 15 minutes and took half of their eight shots.
* The Williams pressure paid off with 6:16 left in the first half on a goal from Catherine Torres.
* The Mammoths held Williams without a shot in the third quarter, but could not manage to create a scoring opportunity of their own and trailed 1-0 entering the final stanza. With only 4:22 remaining in the game, the Mammoths were awarded their second penalty corner of the game. The ball was inserted into
Kat Mason just right off the center at the top of the circle. Mason slid a pass to
Beth Williamson on her left, and Williamson creatively slid a no-look backhand pass to Kays, who quickly fired a shot toward the net. Sophomore
Sam Maynard was able to get her stick on the low shot and re-direct it past a pair of Eph defenders and the keeper to tie the game with 4:14 to go.
* It looked as if the game would go to an extra period, but late in the final minute Williams regained possession and connected two passes to Higgins, who slid a backhand shot past a sprawling
Sara Nidus with only 12 seconds remaining to decide the contest.
* Williams was able to run out the clock in the right corner off the re-start.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Nidus had one save in the game, the game's only save. Williams had 4 penalty corner chances to 2 for the Mammoths.
