Field Hockey Shuts Out Both Smith and Little Three Rival Wesleyan

Two solid team efforts against Smith and Wesleyan extended Amherst field hockey’s win streak to an impressive four games and brought the Mammoths’ record on the year to 10-4.

The Mammoths dominated from the opening whistle on Thursday evening in their matchup against local rival Smith. 14 minutes into the first half, Beth Williamson ’22 found the back of the net for her third goal of the season.

Midfielder Laura Schwartzman ’20 set up the scoring play with a sleek pass to Williamson, who had taken up a position at the top of the arc.

Williamson rifled a shot towards the Pioneers’ net that was deflected by a Smith defender and flew past the goalkeeper into the top right corner of the net.

This goal proved to be the only tally of the period, and the Mammoths entered halftime up 1-0.

After halftime, it didn’t take long for Amherst to increase its lead, as less than three minutes into the second half, defender Kendall Codey ’19 ripped a low shot past Smith’s goalkeeper for her 10th goal of the season. Shannon Tierney ’19 was credited an assist on the play.

The Mammoths’ third goal would come in the 54th minute, as first-year Natalie Hobbs collected the ball at midfield and carried it into the offensive zone.

Making a move, Hobbs easily slid the ball into the net for her fifth goal of the season.

With six minutes left to play, Tierney scored the final goal of the evening, leaving Amherst with a dominant 4-0 win.

The Mammoths’ defensive line stood strong for all 70 minutes of play. The strong defensive play of Cody and Williamson shut down the Smith offensive, holding the Pioneers to zero shots on target. Katie Savage ’19 recorded the win between the pipes, although it was light work for her, as she did not have to make a single save.

The Mammoths returned to action just two days later on Saturday, as they faced off against Wesleyan in their last away game of the season.

For the second straight contest, Williamson opened the scoring, this time 20 minutes into the first half. Once again collecting a pass from Schwartzman at the top of the arc, Williamson rifled a shot past the Wesleyan goalkeeper.

Though the Mammoths were unable to add to the scoreline in the first half, Franny Daniels ’21 found the back of the net just one minute into the second half.

Hobbs dished a clean pass to Daniels who deked the goalie and easily fired the ball home. Daniels leads the team with 13 goals on the season.

The Mammoths dealt a final blow to the Cardinals when Megan Shea ’19 scored with 20 minutes left to play.

Burying a rebound from Anna Agathis ’21, Shea secured the Mammoths’ 3-0 victory over their Little Three rival.

In total, Amherst’s potent offense fired 22 shots on Wesleyan’s net, and the Cardinals’ goalie Delaney Wood had to stand on her head to keep Wesleyan within striking distance, making 19 saves. Amherst’s outstanding defensive line held the Cardinals to only six shots on net throughout the bout, while both of Amherst’s goaltenders came up big in the victory.

Savage, who played 64 minutes, racked up four saves, and Emilie Flamme ’20 made two stops in her six minutes of game action.

With the win over Wesleyan, Amherst cinched the Little Three title for the ninth consecutive season, as the Mammoths had narrowly edged out Williams 4-3 in overtime earlier this year.

Amherst will go for its fifth-straight win against Trinity this week, as the Mammoths will host the Bantams on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. in the team’s last game of the regular season.