Posted by Skidmore Athletics
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Skidmore College field hockey team's season came to an end Saturday as Amherst defeated the Thoroughbreds 2-0 in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament, after receiving a bye past the first round.
The Lord Jeffs improve to 15-3, advancing to the quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the game on Saturday, Nov. 19, between Middlebury and Franklin & Marshall. Skidmore ends its season at 18-2.
The teams battled back and forth for the early part of the first half before Amherst broke through with the game's first goal at 19:15. Off a penalty corner, Katie McMahon sent an insert to Carly Dudzik who sent right back to McMahon at the near post for her 17th goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
The Thoroughbred's best chance came at the end of the first half on a pair of corners with no time left. Skidmore got three shots on goal, but Amherst goalie Rachel Tannenbaum denied two of them and Stephanie Clegg came up with a defensive save on the other, preserving the 1-0 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Thoroughbreds came out aggressively but were unable to break through the tough Amherst defense. At the 49:08 mark, the Lord Jeffs made it a 2-0 game on Sarah McCarrick's seventh goal of the season. McCarrick took a pass from McMahon on a corner and blasted it from the wing to cap the scoring for the game.
Amherst outshot Skidmore 15-8 and held a 10-7 advantage in penalty corners.
Tannenbaum, who leads the nation with a .894 save percentage, finished with six saves for her eighth shutout of the season. Haley McDougall '15 had eight saves in net for Skidmore.
The loss snapped a 10-game overall and 29-game home win streak for the Thoroughbreds.