Amherst, Mass. - Katie McMahon scored in overtime to give the Amherst College Lord Jeffs a 2-1 win over the visiting Trinity College Bantams in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) regular-season finale for both teams this evening on Gooding Field. Trinity, ranked No. 19 in the nation, closes the regular slate at 8-6 overall and 5-4 in the NESCAC with iots second loss in a row, and will play a NESCAC Championship Quarterfinal game on Sunday, October 31, at No. 3-seeded Middlebury College. Amherst earns a home game in the NESCAC Championship Tournament as the No. 4 seed, and will host No. 5-seeded Wesleyan University on Sunday. No. 17-ranked Amherst's victory is its fifth straight and improves the team to 11-3 overall and 6-3 in the league.
Trinity had opportunities to score late in the first half, but was stopped on three penalty corners in a four-minute span by Amherst senior goalie Liz Schink (Chicago, Ill.). Amherst managed just a pair of shots in the opening 20 minutes, but with 1:48 to play in the first half, scored the game's opening goal when Katie McMahon (Denville, N.J.) dished to Rachel Lupien (Baltimore, Md.) on the left side of the goal, and Lupien snuck a soft shot under Trinity goalie Gina Dinallo (West Hartford, Conn.) for the 1-0 lead. With 22:33 to play in the second half, Trinity got an equalizer from freshman midfielder Paige Duke on a rebound after Schink had stopped a blast from the top of the circle by Bantam sophomore midfielder Haley Thompson (Ipswich, Mass.). As regulation ticked away, both teams pushed forward looking to earn a corner, but the defenses each held strong as the second half finished tied 1-1.
Amherst stole the sudden victory, when junior Carly Dudzik (Darien, Conn.) controlled the ball through the midfield and lifted a pass between two Bantam defenders to spring McMahon in one-on-one with Dinallo. The Trinity goalie came off her line, but McMahon corralled the ball and lifted a shot into the side of the goal. Dinallo and Schink each finished the game with four saves.
box score
