MIDDLETOWN, Conn. -- Junior
Sam Maynard scored twice Saturday as the No. 13 Amherst College field hockey team posted a 3-1 win over Little 3 rival Wesleyan University on the Cardinals' Smith Field.
The Mammoths improved to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in conference play. They are at No. 12 Bowdoin College Sunday for a 12 p.m. start.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
* The Mammoth's defense had a busy day, as goalkeeper
Sara Nidus had three saves, including one on a penalty stroke, and the defenders had three defensive saves. First-year
Maya Harrington made the earliest impact, keeping Wesleyan off the scoreboard when she cleared a shot from Georgia Adams off the line in the game's fourth minute.
* Amherst took the lead with three seconds left in the first quarter. After being awarded a penalty corner,
Kate Smith inserted a pass to
Muffie Mazambani, who fired a hard shot on goal that Wesleyan keeper Amanda Pace made a pad save on. The rebound went right to Maynard, whose backhand did not miss.
* Early in the second quarter, Amherst made it 2-0. After collecting a bad pass from a Wesleyan turnover, Maynard had a moment of brilliance as she carried the ball on her stick for several steps, running past the Wesleyan defense toward goal. As she neared the cage, she dropped the ball from her stick and poked home a goal out of mid-air with just over nine minutes left.
* The Cardinals came out with renewed enthusiasm at the start of the third quarter and were awarded a penalty corner mid-way through the stanza. Sydney Cameron blasted a shot from the top of the circle that appeared targeted for the lower-right-corner, but back
Charlotte Domittner was there to sweep it off the line and out of harms way.
* The Mammoths took a 3-0 lead with 1:04 remaining. Smith inserted a ball to
Kat Mason at the top of the circle. Mason rocketed a shot on goal that went off a Cardinals defender and beyond Pace for her first goal of the season.
* Wesleyan continued to pressure the Mammoths defense in the final quarter. Mid-way through the frame, Nidus made a stop off Adams off a penalty corner, which was quickly followed by first-year back
Olivia Tennant stopping a follow-up shot from entering the goal. With just under eight minutes to go, Wesleyan was awarded a penalty stroke, but Nods came up huge with a save of Helen Deretchin.
* The Cardinals scored late in the quarter, but Mason ran out the clock in the right corner to secure the victory for the Mammoths.
BY THE NUMBERS:
* Wesleyan out shot the Mammoths 13-7 in the game, 7-0 in the final quarter. They had 10 corner kicks to the Mammoths' six.
* The win for Amherst was its 20th straight against the Cardinals.
