AMHERST, Mass. – The Connecticut College field hockey team dropped its NESCAC opener at No. 14 Amherst College by a 5-0 final on Saturday afternoon at Hill Field.
The Camels kept things close through three quarters, but in the fourth the Mammoths broke the game open with four goals in a six-minute stretch. Abbey Kays and Caroline Busler each netted a pair of goals to lead Amherst, which finished with a 17-12 edge in shots.
Conn produced some good scoring chances in the first half. The Camels put their first shot on goal just 7:30 into the contest on a penalty corner, with
Maddie Mason (Brentwood, N.H.) lacing a shot off the pads of the Amherst goalie. Later,
Reese Ziegler (Charlotte, N.C.) was turned away in front of the goal, and
Bridget McGann (West Hartford, Conn.) lifted a penalty stroke over the cage.
A penalty corner allowed Kays to put the Mammoths on the scoreboard with 3:00 remaining in the first half. Amherst led 1-0 at intermission and protected the lead until the final stanza.
Kays doubled the margin with 12:17 left in the game, once again scoring off a corner. Molly Donegan followed with a tally just over three minutes later, and Busler added her pair of scores less than two minutes apart.
The Camels produced five shots on goal over the final 11 minutes—including three by McGann—but Amherst's Grace Puchalski denied them all. She finished with six saves on the afternoon, while
Liz Winemaster (Lake Forest, Ill.) recorded a season-high nine stops for the Camels.
Conn (0-2 overall, 0-1 NESCAC) will next host Wellesley College on Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m.
