AMHERST, Mass. - Senior forward Mary Margaret Stoll scored the game-winning goal with just under eight minutes to play and the Amherst College field hockey team held on for a 4-3 win over Mount Holyoke College on Thursday evening. With the win, #15 Amherst is now 1-0, while the #20 Lyons are 0-2 on the young season.
Locked in a 3-all tie following a goal in the 54th minute by the visiting Lyons, Amherst tipped the scales as Stoll (Avon, Conn./Avon) converted a saved shot off the stick of junior midfielder Elizabeth Turnbull (Harding Township, N.J./Madison) past the reach of MHC goalie and captain Liz DiCesare (Westford, Mass./Bishop Guertin).
The visiting Lyons tried to counter and nab the equalizer, but the Amherst defense held strong in the waining minutes. Junior captain Kaitlin Braz (Tolland, Conn./East Catholic) had Mount Holyoke's best chance with under four minutes to go, firing a shot in on goalie Emily Horowitz (Wilmington, Del./Wilmington Friends School) that was saved, before finding the loose rebound for another attempt that was stopped in front by defender Caroline Fiore (Essex Fells, N.J./West Essex Regional).
Amherst opened the game's scoring at the 4:46 mark as Cronin connected off a feed from Stoll. The Purple & White made it a 2-0 game at 6:48 after senior forward Sara Culhane (Princeton, N.J./The Lawrenceville School) ripped a shot from the top of the circle past DiCesare.
Mount Holyoke got on the board less than two minutes later as senior forward Charlotte Wagner (West Chester, Pa./Westtown School) knocked in a pass off the stick of sophomore Colby Newsham (Harvard, Mass./Bromfield School).
Despite several solid attempts, the Lyons trailed 3-1 at halftime following a tally from sophomore defender Kendall Codey (Summit, N.J./Summit) with one minute to go in the stanza.
MHC pulled closer in the second frame as sophomore midfielder Kristina Ramsden (Florence, Mass./Northampton) converted off a pass from classmate and fellow middie Mirjam Keochakian (Hamburg, Germany/Deerfield Academy (MA).
The Lyons got the equalizer at the 54th minute mark when first year Anna Ballou (South Deerfield, Mass./Deerfield Academy) tipped a pass through traffic to junior midfielder Sophie Perekslis (Millerton, N.Y./Berkshire School).
In goal, Horowitz earned the victory with a six-save effort, while her counterpart, DiCesare made 12 stops for the Lyons. Amherst led with a 19-13 edge in shots, as well as an 11-3 edge in penalty corners.
Amherst returns to action on Saturday when it opens NESCAC action at Bowdoin (11am). Mount Holyoke is also on the field on Saturday, welcoming Castleton (2pm).
Photo courtesy of RJB Sports Photography.
