Springfield, Mass. (October 8, 2024) – WNE hosted Amherst College, the number two-ranked team in Division III, on Tuesday afternoon. Abby Schwartz and the Mammoths would take an early 1-0 lead. However, Liza Pinette would equalize the game in the 29th minute. The Mammoths would then score three consecutive goals with, one in the first half and two in the second half, to secure a 4-1 win over the Golden Bears.

Records:

• Western New England: 6-2-5 (1-1-1)
• Amherst College: 7-0-3 (4-0-2)

How it Happened:

The first half saw Molly McLaughlin and Mika Fisher start in goal for the Golden Bears and Mammoths, respectively. The Mammoths showed pressure early with a corner kick and a shot wide within the first seven minutes. Then, in the tenth minute, the Mammoths became the first team with a goal on the scoreboard. Patience Kum found Abby Schwartz running towards the net. Schwartz would dribble past the WNE goalie and defense and send the ball into the back of the net. Amherst College led 1-0. WNE fought back with the next three shots. Within the next seven minutes, two of the shots went wide of the goal, and one was blocked. The Golden Bears also had a corner-kick opportunity within that time frame. The Mammoths would respond, though. They had two shots in the 18th minute. The first was blocked, and the second, from Schwartz, made McLaughlin make a save. The Mammoths followed that up with corner kicks in the 23rd and 24th minutes. Then, Brynn Murphy tested Fisher for the first time of the game, but Fisher made the save. However, in the 29th minute, Emma French found Liza Pinette with a through-ball that found Pinette on a breakaway opportunity. Pinette calmly sent the ball past the goalie and into the back of the net to equalize the score at 1-1.

The Mammoths did not panic. Abigail Danso had a shot on goal, which McLaughlin saved. However, Caroline Coletti would find the back of the net. Coletti found an opening just outside the WNE penalty box. Coletti took a shot, and the ball rose right into the top of the goal. The Mammoths now led 2-1. The Golden Bears did not hesitate. They had a shot in the 33rd minute go wide and a shot from Brynn Murphy saved by Fisher in the 36th minute. The Mammoths had the final two shots of the first half, with Jessica Lomo making McLaughlin make a save. The Golden Bears had the final opportunity with a corner kick in the 45th minute. However, the Mammoths stifled that opportunity, and the score was 2-1 at the half. The first-half stats showed Amherst College leading 8-7 in shots, 5-3 in shots on goal, and 3-2 in corner kicks. Both teams had three fouls called against them.

The second half saw the Mammoths start the half with immediate pressure. They had two shots go over the net in the first five minutes. Then, in the 53rd minute, Jessica Lomo would send a crossing pass across the face of the goal to Halle Hanna, who sent a header shot into the back of the net. The Mammoths now had a 3-1 lead. The Mammoths continued to send shots at goal with a shot in the 55th minute, which went wide. Then, they had a 60th-minute shot blocked by the WNE defense. The Mammoths controlled possession for the most part as the second half went on. They had a shot in the 63rd minute go over the net. The Golden Bears would then flip the script and send a shot wide right of the goal. The Mammoths would press more after that. Schwartz had a shot saved by McLaughlin in the 67th minute. Amherst then had a shot go wide and two corner kick opportunities over the next two minutes. Eventually, they would find a fourth goal in the 70th minute. Ella Johnson sent a pass across the face of the goal to Carter Hollingsworth, who sent a quick shot crashing into the back of the WNE goal. The Mammoths led 4-1. The Mammoths would continue looking for goals, with Schwartz sending a shot at McLaughlin, which was saved in the 73rd minute.

Amherst had two more corner-kick opportunities after that. Then, another shot from Schwartz was saved by McLaughlin in the 76th minute. Hollingsworth and Schwartz had shots in the 78th and 80th minutes saved by McLaughlin. The teams also had a corner-kick opportunity in the 81st minute. The Mammoths finished the game with two more shots. One in the 85th and one in the 86th minute. Neither tested McLaughlin, and the game ended with the Mammoths winning the game 4-1. The final stats showed the Mammoths with a lead in shots 23-8, shots on goal 12-3, and corner kicks 9-3. The Golden Bears led in fouls 8-7.

Coach's Corner:

Head Coach Kristin Hensinger was asked for a comment after the game. "We played as hard as we could against a nationally ranked team. The second half we lost some steam, and they were able to remain at a high level and capitalize on their chances. It's a great learning opportunity for us, and I think we can take a lot of positives away from the game as we move into conference play," Hensinger stated.

Inside the Lines:

• The Golden Bears welcomed the Mammoths of Amherst College to town on Tuesday.
• 9:01 – Abby Schwartz netted a goal off an assist from Patience Kum to make the score 1-0, Amherst College.
• 28:45 – Liza Pinette netted a breakaway goal to equalize the score 1-1. Emma French had the assist.
• 31:35 – Caroline Coletti netted an unassisted goal to help the Mammoths regain the one-goal lead. The Mammoths led 2-1.
• 52:53 – Halle Hanna had a header shot go into the back of the net to double the Amherst College lead to 3-1. Jessica Lomo had the assist.
• 69:10 – Carter Hollingsworth tripled the lead with a goal assisted by Ella Johnson. The Mammoths led 4-1.
• Molly McLaughlin made eight saves on twelve shots on goal.
• Mika Fisher made two saves and let up one goal to earn the win for Amherst College.
• The Mammoths beat the Golden Bears 4-1.

Up Next on the Schedule:

• WNE hosts their Senior Day on Saturday, October 12, 2024, at noon. The team will welcome conference foes, the Wentworth Institute of Technology to town for that game.
• Amherst will return home for a conference showdown with Tufts University on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, at 3:45 PM for their next game.