Photo By Charlie Quigg '09 Senior Laura Brown captains an outstanding Amherst defense that allows just 6.95 goals per game, a NESCAC-best.

Jeffs Earn Sixth-Straight Trip to NESCAC Semis

May 4, 2006

AMHERST, MA – The sixth-ranked and second-seeded Amherst College women’s lacrosse team (12-2) will face seventh-ranked and fourth-seeded Bowdoin College in the NESCAC Championship Semifinals at top-seeded Middlebury College on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The squad earned its sixth consecutive trip to the semifinals with a 17-8 quarterfinal victory over seventh-seeded Wesleyan University on Sunday. The NESCAC Semifinals feature four nationally-ranked teams, and the same four which advanced to last year’s semifinals, with No. 2 Middlebury facing off against No. 12 Williams College in Saturday’s other matchup. The winners of the semifinal games will play for the conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament in the NESCAC Championship Final on Sunday at noon.

Amherst has advanced to the conference championship game in every year of the tournament’s existence, and posts an overall tourney record of 10-5. This Saturday’s semifinal game will offer the Jeffs a chance to avenge their narrow 10-9 loss to the Polar Bears back on April 1. The teams have faced off only once in NESCAC tournament play, when the Jeffs eked out a 13-12 overtime win in last year’s semifinals. Amherst holds a 9-2 advantage in the last 11 matchups, dating back to a 9-3 Jeff win on March 19, 1996.

Junior attacker Alyssa Briody (Hopewell, NJ) leads Amherst in each offensive statistical category, posting 36 goals and 20 assists for 56 points. Her 4.00 points per game average is good for fifth in the conference, while she stands at seventh in assists (1.43) and eighth in goals (2.57). Briody was instrumental in sparking Amherst’s late-game comeback in Saturday’s quarterfinal win, notching back-to-back goals just before halftime to lift the Jeffs from a 7-4 deficit, and dealt five assists – including four in the second half – as Amherst went on 13-1 run to end the game and turn a three-goal dearth into an nine-goal advantage. Briody’s nine points (4g, 5a) tied Abby Ouimet ‘03’s NESCAC record for points in a tournament game. Rookie Amy Craig (Denver, CO) has been on an offensive tear of late, notching 11 goals and a pair of helpers in the Jeffs’ last three outings, including a six-goal, one-assist performance, tying a tournament record of her own, in Saturday’s victory. She has racked up 27 goals and six assists on the year, and boasts the highest shooting percentage on the squad (.657). Classmate Mary Noonan (W. Roxbury, MA) is a midfield leviathan, accumulating 24 goals and eight assists, and grabbing a team-high 29 draw controls and 13 caused turnovers to date. With four straight trips to the NESCAC tournament under their belts, senior tri-captains Scotty Hanley (Sparks, MD) and Caitie Parker (Bethesda, MD) lend valuable experience and leadership, and have combined for 14 goals, six assists, 19 ground balls and 20 draw controls this season. Junior Dana Kuper (Denver, CO) and sophomore Maddie Hoeg (Shoreham, NY) bolster the Jeff attack, posting 19 and 16 points, respectively. Juniors Liz Wise (Scarsdale, NY) and Lauren Dudley (Baltimore, MD) have split time in the midfield, accumulating 13 ground balls apiece and 20 and 13 draw controls, respectively.

Senior tri-captain Laura Brown (Bethesda, MD), junior Maggie Roth (Berwyn, PA) and sophomore goaltender Linda McEvoy (Rochester, NY) skipper a stonewall defense that boasts the lowest goals against average in the conference, and stands at 11th in the nation (6.95). Roth holds the team lead in caused turnovers (22), while she and Brown have scooped up 25 and 24 ground balls, respectively. The speedy midfield play of senior Margaret Chute (Pawtucket, RI) and juniors Rachel Lewis (Denver, CO) and Emery Sweeney (Darien, CT) has be instrumental in the Jeffs’ success this season. Lewis leads the team in ground balls with 39, and has snagged 25 draw controls, while Chute has accumulated 30 pick-ups and forced 19 turnovers. Sweeney adds 18 takeaways and 24 ground balls.

In their quarterfinal game, Bowdoin (13-3) avenged a 9-8 regular season loss with a punishing 14-7 victory over fourth-seeded Tufts University. The Polar Bears used a 7-0 first-half run to get out to an 11-3 half-time lead, and sail away with the rematch triumph. Rookie Kate Donoghue notched five goals in the win, and leads Bowdoin with 45 goals and 10 assists. She is tied for second in the conference in goals per game (3.00). Classmate keeper Steph Collins-Finn boasts the highest save percentage in the NESCAC (.552). All three Polar Bears losses have all come at the hands of ranked opponents: No. 3 Middlebury, No. 11 Colby and No. 16 Tufts.

NESCAC Postseason Tournament Seedings
Quarterfinals – Sunday, April 30 at higher seeds
No. 7 Wesleyan 8 at No. 2 Amherst 17
No. 6 Williams 17 at No. 3 Colby 11
No. 5 Tufts 7 at No. 4 Bowdoin 14

Semifinals – Saturday, May 6 at Middlebury College
No. 6 Williams at No. 1 Middlebury at 12:00 p.m.
No. 4 Bowdoin vs. No. 2 Amherst at 2:30 p.m.

Championship – Sunday, May 7 at 12:00 p.m.
Semifinal winners