AMHERST, Mass. -- Amherst College senior
Muffie Mazambani celebrated Senior Day in style Saturday, scoring twice as the #15th-ranked Mammoths scored four unanswered goals en route to a 4-1 win over Hamilton College on Hill Field.
The Mammoths improved to 9-5 overall and 5-4 in conference play. Hamilton fell to 7-7 overall, 3-7 in the NESCAC. The Mammoths close out the regular season with a 6 p.m. game against Trinity College Tuesday back at Hill Field.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* Hamilton led 1-0 after the first 15 minutes of play Saturday on a goal by Hannah Dillon set up nicely from Sammy Higgins.
* Amherst tied it just 1:57 into the second stanza when
Anna Aiello fired a hard pass from the right side just outside the circle that found Mazambani's stick stationed in in the center of the circle a few yards in. With her back to the goal, Mazambani turned to her right and fired a rocket into the upper 90 of the goal on the right side for her 12th goal of the season.
* The Mammoths took a 2-1 lead just 19 seconds into the third quarter on a goal created by the hustle of Mazambani. The speedy forward broke up a pass between two Continentals near midfield, dribbled toward the circle,, split two defenders at the top of the circle and then flipped a backhand shot from left to right over the Hamilton goalkeeper, who had rushed out and slid forward to cut down Mazambani's angle. It was her 13th goal of the season.
* A similar hustle play by junior
Sam Maynard made it a 3-1 Mammoth lead 2:57 into the fourth quarter. The play started in the mammoths' own end, where
Kate Smith delivered a hard, long pass right to the stick of Maynard, who was five yards out from the Continentals' circle. Maynard dribbled to her left around one Hamilton defender and into the circle, then split right between a pair of defenders to go one-on-one with the keeper. Rather than get off a shot, it appeard the ball rolled off her stick to the left and bounced toward the bottom left corner. To ensure it would find the back of the goal, Maynard took a diving swipe at the ball and got it over the line for her 15th goal of the season and a two-goal Amherst lead.
*
Justine Liguori capped the scoring with 8:36 left in the fourth frame. Maynard made another nice move to dribble into the circle and was fouled as she met with the keeper. The official awarded a penalty stroke to the Mammoths and Liguori converted the opportunity with a beautiful shot for a three-goal advantage.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Amherst held a 17-2 advantage in shots and a 9-2 advantage in penalty corner opportunities.
