It's never too early to start studying the women's soccer NESCAC standings, especially considering that only the winner of the end-of-season tournament gets to play in the NCAA postseason. After the first full weekend of NESCAC play, Amherst and Tufts are sitting pretty in a tie atop the standings, with eight other teams trying to figure out how to catch them.
The Amherst Lord Jeffs won their second conference game of the season last Saturday with a 2-0 shutout of Bates. Amherst was powered by two of its senior tri-captains - striker Cathy Poor, who scored her second goal in as many games, and goalie Hallison Putnam, who had six saves and recorded a shutout in her first-ever start in the net. Putnam, normally a midfielder and striker, was forced into the new role because junior starter Brooke Diamond is suffering from mononucleosis. Freshman Tracy Montigny posted her first career goal in the 66th minute to cap the scoring. The win propelled Amherst to 2-0 in the conference, dropping the Bobcats to 0-1 and in a tie for eighth place.
For the Lord Jeffs, it was an important triumph, as they kept pace with the Jumbos, who continued to bounce back from a stunning season-opening loss to Babson with their second straight conference win. This one was a come-from-behind, 3-1 victory over the 13th-ranked Middlebury Panthers on Saturday. Last year, the Panthers, the top seed in the NESCAC tournament, were the only conference team the Jumbos failed to defeat at least once.
The revenge was highlighted by two goals from junior midfielder Alle Sharlip, who was rewarded with NESCAC Player of the Week and the Daily Athlete of the Week honors. Sharlip's two goals sandwiched a tally from senior striker Lynn Cooper. Though Middlebury struck first with a goal from Leah Cumsky-Whitlock, senior goalie Mara Schanfield had five saves and kept the Panthers out of the net the rest of the day to earn her first win of the season.
Looking up at Amherst and Tufts in the standings is Williams, though the Purple Cows are not far behind with a 1-0 conference record. Williams blasted the Bowdoin Polar Bears by a 4-1 margin on Saturday, handing Bowdoin its first conference loss of the season. The Polar Bears are now tied with Colby, Conn. College, and Middlebury for fourth in the conference at 1-1.
For Williams, it was junior Stacey Starner reestablishing herself as the team's offensive leader - she led the Purple Cows in scoring the first two seasons of her career - with the first two goals of the contest. Starner was assisted on both scores by senior co-captain Marlene Bonasera. The Purple Cows' third goal came on a connection from a pair of freshmen, as Daniela Bailey set up Lindsay Dwyer. It was Dwyer's third goal of the short season. Bowdoin had something to cheer about when Jill Fallwall scored in the 85th minute of the game, but Williams answered right back with a goal from midfielder Lisa Schulman.
The Colby White Mules find themselves in a four-way tie for fourth in the conference after evening their conference record to 1-1 with a 2-0 shutout of the Wesleyan Cardinals. The Cardinals didn't look much better the next day, as they traveled south to Bowdoin on Sunday, only to lose to the Polar Bears, 6-1. Bowdoin spread the scoring around, as six different players tallied one goal each. Only Becca Cohen got Cardinals fans excited with the lone Wesleyan goal.
While the Bowdoin/Wesleyan contest may have been the least dramatic of the weekend, Conn. College's 2-1 overtime victory against the visiting Trinity Bantams was the most exciting. Senior forward Lena Eckhoff dribbled through the Trinity defense and scored from 15 yards out in the 104th minute to give the Camels the win. It was Conn. College's first conference victory of the season.
The second weekend of conference play will peg Williams at Wesleyan, Trinity at Bates, Bowdoin playing host to Middlebury, Amherst traveling to Conn. College, Tufts on the road at Colby, and a Sunday matinee of Bates against. Middlebury. The only in-week conference game is today's contest, as Tufts welcomes Conn. College.
