Women’s lacrosse falls to Amherst in opening round

The women’s lacrosse team concluded its season on Saturday, April 30 with a 17-8 loss to Amherst in the opening round of the NESCAC Tournament.

While the Cardinals knew they were playing against an experienced team, they still put up a good fight. Although Amherst was seeded second in the NESCAC and ranked sixth in the country at the time, the score at the second half was tied 8-8.

Rookie Sarah Orkin ’09, unassisted, flipped in a quick goal to lead off the scoring for Wesleyan. Orkin would later go on to add two more to the scoreboard, snagging a hat trick. Forty seconds later, senior attack Becky Meredith ’06 gave the Cardinals to a two-point lead by scoring a free position shot. Meredith also played an exceptional game, netting three goals and racking up her season three points to toal 40.

Bringing on an onslaught of superb stick handling and agility, Meredith, Laurel Sticklor ’09, Lisa Zweigenhaft ’09, and Orkin delivered four consecutive goals. This 7-4 lead proved to be the largest lead Wesleyan would hold during the game. Despite an extraordinary first, the team was unable to withstand the force of the Jeffs, as Amherst stepped up its game in the latter half of the 60 minutes.

Either due to a change in spirit or a harsh outburst by their coach, the Jeffs turned the tide at the start of the second half. Peppering Wesleyan with shot after shot, Amherst played to its potential, slipping 10 goals past goalie Kate Jones ’06. Star Amherst players included Amy Craig and Mary Noonan, who scored six and five goals, respectively. The Jeffs allowed only one Wesleyan goal by Meredith, during their 10-goal flurry.

“We were eliminated from the post-season by one of the best teams in the country, said Head Coach Holly Wheeler. ”But we certainly gave them a scare as Wesleyan dominated the first-half 8-7.“ ”We will work hard in the off-season as the Amherst loss was one that came too soon and will be a reminder of taking the program to the next level. The team returns all but three starters and the 2007 season will be yet another exciting one!“

Despite the loss to Amherst, the Lady Cardinals had a fairly successful season. The women will say good-bye to seniors Jones, Meredith, and Siegle, who all enjoyed a great year. Jones completed her season with a 46.6 save percentage and 10.24 goals against average.

The season came to a conclusion with an overall record of 9-8 (3-6 NESCAC), good for seventh in the conference. Seven of the games played this season were against teams, ranked among the top 15 in the nation.

This season’s pointS leader was Amanda Belichick ’07, who racked up a total of 52 points, 33 goals, and 19 assists. The only other Wesleyan player to have achieved over 50 points in one season was Becca Vogel ’05.

Besides the veteran attacks, other notable offensive players include Schuyler Swenson ’09 and Orkin, who were both able to put impressive seasons into their pockets. Sophia Kim ’08 and Jen Bianculli ’08 showed noteworthy defense. The 2007 team will encompass more returning players and hopefully rookies matching the talent of this year’s freshmen.

”The team has come a long way since the beginning of the season,“ said Coach Wheeler.. ”We have become more versatile overall with many players contributing on both ends of the field.“