Women's Soccer Downs Camels, Lions in 2-0 Week

Women’s soccer has been wiping the pitch with the Connecticut College Camels for years and this past Saturday, Sept. 25, was no exception.

Mika Fisher ’24 once again proved to be the solid goalkeeper her team can rely on, blocking three shots from the Camels’ attack within the first four minutes alone. Not to be outdone, the Mammoths retaliated hard and fast with a shot by Julia Ralph ’22E sandwiched between two from Alexa Juarez ’23E.

In the 20th minute, Natalie Landau ’22 put the first point on the scoreboard for Amherst, recording her seventh goal of the season so far. Just a few minutes later, with an assist from Carter Hollingsworth ’25, Landau struck again, sending the ball flying past Connecticut’s keeper.

For the rest of the half, purple dominated the field, posing constant threats to Conn. College’s defense with five more shots and three corner kicks. In the 44th minute, the first-year dynamic duo of Patience Kum ’25 and Hollingsworth stepped up to the plate: Kum’s receival of the corner kick and smooth layoff to the back post allowed Hollingsworth to send it with one touch right to the back of the net.

Reflecting on her first collegiate goal, Hollingsworth revealed that “as a defender, I don’t often get opportunities to shoot so it felt great to be able to get a goal for the team.” The first-year also mentioned the time the team has been putting time into practicing corners and enjoyed “being able to apply our training to a game and see it pay off.”

The Mammoths ended the first half with four offsides and two fouls, a testament to the team’s eagerness to place a few more goals in the back of the net.

With the second half came a renewed energy and determination from both sides, resulting in several fouls by both. The 58th minute brought a yellow card on Maya Scholnick ’22 as tensions continued to rise between the two teams. Amherst managed to bring the score up to 4-nil in the 67th minute with a goal by Kum, her sixth of the season so far.

The Mammoths kept up the intensity until the final whistle blew, with the attack testing Connecticut College goalie Ella Kharl while the midfield and back line kept the Camels at bay. Despite their best efforts, the Camels could not put one past Fisher, who saved another three shots from the Conn. College attack. Amherst women’s soccer’s performance on Saturday brings their record to 5-1 with exclusively shutouts as their wins.

On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the team posted yet another dominant 4-0 shutout, this time against Emerson College. The goals kept coming on Tuesday night, with Ralph scoring her first goal of the season with a header off a free kick from Sophia Fikke ’22, before Fikke found the back of the net to bring the score to 2-0 only 90 seconds later. Shortly after halftime, the team kept up the pressure, with Izzy Geneve ’23’s goal making the game 3-0 in favor of the Mammoths. A Landau penalty kick, her team-leading ninth goal of the season, capped off the scoring for Amherst in the 81st minute.

The Mammoths hope to keep up their momentum this coming weekend, when they host rival Williams at home on Saturday, Oct. 2 before traveling to Middlebury to play the Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 3.