WESTFIELD, MA. A six-point day from junior attack Kate Becker led No. 16-ranked Amherst College women's lacrosse team to a win in their final game of spring break on Sunday, March 23. Taking the short trip down to Westfield to face the Owls, the Mammoths dominated Westfield State from start to finish, taking home a 18-6 victory.
 
With the win, the Mammoths improve to 5-2 this season, while Westfield State falls to 2-6. Amherst will continue their road trip after a six-day rest, taking on #20 Stevens Institute of Technology on Saturday, March 29. The game against the Ducks will start at with the game set to start at 12 p.m. at DeBaun Athletic Complex in Hoboken, N. J.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:
 
* The Mammoths started the game quick, netting six times in the game's first seven and a half minutes. The first two goals were credited to Becker, the first on a short-range quick-stick and the second on a solo effort off a restart from out of bounds. Petersen was next to get in on the action, netting after an Owls goal cut the lead in half to restore the two-goal lead. This sparked the Mammoths' offense, with Bridget Finley, Sydney Kang, and Mia Raven each finishing their opportunities to close the run. Westfield put one more in net to finish up the first quarter with the Mammoths up 6-2.
 
* The second quarter was much quieter for Amherst in comparison. Two quick Owls goals to begin the second frame narrowed the advantage to two, but Raven had something to say about that, controlling the draw, blowing by her defender, and going all the way to the cage for the score. Another Westfield State goal followed, but the Mammoths again responded in kind, with Becker completing her hattrick with a low bouncer off a crease-roll to award her team an 8-5 lead.
 
* Sofia Guttmann gave her squad a bigger cushion with a goal of her own, and Kang pushed the lead to 10-5 with her second goal of the game just 14 seconds later. A big save by goaltender Lily Samoska on a Westfield free-position chance got the Mammoths' next offensive attack going and Guttman finished the job on her second attempt of the possession --- her first had rocketed off the crossbar --- to end the half on a high note, with the Mammoths up 11-5.
 
* Becker tallied her fourth of the day 16 seconds into the second half, and Amherst kept rolling from there. Raven converted a free-position shot and Finley did the same before Guttmann fired a long-range dart home and Rachel Rogers quick-sticked a goal of her own. The Owls netted once during this time to put the score at 16-6 heading into the final quarter.
 
*  Two goals from Clara Sosa in the first three minutes of the final quarter put the finishing touches on the Mammoths' 18-6 win.
 
 
BY THE NUMBERS:

* Becker put in the best point-performance of her career to date against the Owls. The junior netted four times and recorded two assists for six points on the day. That said, on any other day Petersen's performance would have been the talk of the game, with the Mammoths leading scorer showing her versatility with four assists and a score.

* The Mammoths dominance on the scoreboard started in the draw circle: they won the battle for possession 19-8.  
 
* Samoska made two saves in the first half, while junior Jessye Salmon recorded three in the second.