May 7, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. - Amherst College used a 9-1 run to move past visiting Endicott College, 16-7, in the First Round of the 2008 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship on Wednesday afternoon in Amherst, Massachusetts. Endicott ends its season at 15-6, while Amherst improves to 14-3 and will head to regional host Franklin & Marshall College to take on Washington & Lee in the round of 16 on Saturday, May 10 at 2:30 p.m.
Amherst had a shot on net within the first 17 seconds of action, but Endicott junior goalkeeper Molly Hamel (North Yarmouth, Maine) got off to a good start by making the stop at the doorstep. Junior Sara Gunter (Kennebunk, Maine) responded at the other end by picking up a loose ball and going to goal from the left side, placing her shot to the far post for the first score of the game.
The Gulls' lead did not last long, however, as Amherst freshman Kelley Trapp (Monterey, Calif.) put the Jeffs on the board just 76 seconds later to notch the score at 1-1 with an unassisted goal. Amherst's lead was bumped to 3-1 when junior Mary Noonan (West Roxbury, Mass.) and sophomore Hannah Walker (Greenwich, Conn.) recorded goals within 34 seconds of each other, as Endicott called a timeout to regroup with 21:56 showing on the clock.
After sophomore Tyler Tory-Murphy (Sea Cliff, N.Y.) gave Amherst a 4-1 lead, Endicott responded with a pair of goals by Valerie Feldman (Albany, N.Y.) and Kellie Cunningham (Derry, N.H.) to cut it to a one-goal game. The Lord Jeffs look solid in their response, closing out the half on a 6-0 run to enter the intermission with a 10-3 advantage. The final goal of the first frame came from junior Amy Craig (Denver, Colo.) with only 11.6 seconds remaining in the stanza.
Amy Craig, Trapp and Tory-Murphy each had two goals in the first half to lead the Lord Jeffs, who held a 22-10 advantage in shots. Hamel made eight saves for the Gulls, while senior Linda McEvoy (Rochester, NY) made two stops for Amherst.
The second half began just as the first did, with Hamel making a pair of nice saves before the Gulls struck first with a goal from Gunter--her second of the game. The similarities continued when Trapp and Noonan scored the first two goals for Amherst, respectively, as the Jeffs held a 12-4 lead seven minutes and 20 seconds into the second frame.
The scoring pattern broke with Hoeg's second goal of the day, and Rebecca Bushnell (Guilford, Conn.) assisted Valerie Feldman for the Gulls' fifth goal at the half's midway point. Endicott called its second and final timeout with possession in the Amherst end and with 11:10 remaining in regulation, but Trapp's fourth goal followed 59 seconds later and brought the Jeffs' lead back to nine at 14-5.
Bushnell and Feldman connected once again, this time with Bushnell picking up the goal to make it 14-6 with 6:08 to play. Amherst would tack on another two goals, but Feldman capped off the scoring for the game with 2:19 to play, as the Jeffs earned the 16-7 victory.
Amherst out-shot Endicott 38-20, as Hamel made 18 saves and played a stellar game between the pipes. McEvoy had a pair of saves in each half before being replaced by freshman Caroline Burke (Brookline, Mass.), who made one save and allowed one free position goal in five minutes of action.
Endicott closes out its season with a 15-6 overall record. The future looks bright for the three-time defending conference champions, as the Blue and Green say goodbye to just one, albeit important, senior in Emily Judd (Peabody, Mass.). The Gulls have shown consistent improvement under head coach Kate Mullen, and will look to return to the national playoff in 2009.
