September 10, 2000

Senior Co-captain Gretchen Bowe (Hampstead, NH) and junior midfielder Robin Ackerman (Princeton, NJ) each tallied one goal and one assist, as the Amherst College field hockey team opened their 2000 campaign with a convincing 3-1 win over visiting Colby College on Sunday.

One year removed from their dramatic run to the 1999 NCAA championship game, the Jeffs came out firing in the first half of their 2000 opener, leveling 16 first-half shots on Colby goalkeeper Jane Stevens (Chevy Chase, MD). The Colby defense, anchored by Stevens and junior Co-captain Marcia Ingraham (Georgetown, MA) held off the brunt of the Amherst attack, before the Jeffs finally broke through just over 20 minutes in. After a transition in midfield, Bowe slipped a nifty feed to Ackerman, who snuck a shot between Stevens and the pipes, putting the hosts up 1-0.

The Mules came charging right back, equalizing less than three minutes later on a goal from junior forward Becca Bruce (Exeter, NH). The game went to halftime knotted at one, despite a 16-10 Amherst edge in total shots.

The second half, however, was a different story. Behind dominant midfield play from Bowe and fellow Co-captain Mairin Brady (Bethesda, MD), the hosts began to take over, dominating in transition.

After a change of possession in the midfield around the 48-minute mark, Bowe sent a pass ahead to rookie Christine Ryan (Summit, NJ), who slotted a perfect cross into the middle which sophomore Abby Ouimet (Hatfield, MA) finished to put the Jeffs up for good. Just under eight minutes later, Bowe capped the scoring off the Jeffs1 17th penalty corner of the day, blasting an Ackerman feed through a crowd of Colby defenders, and past Stevens. The Mules would have a couple of good chances late, but junior defenders Anne Close (Limekiln, PA) and Laurie Smith (Wilmington, DE) were solid in front of junior netminder Beth Sensing (Hockessin, DE), preserving the two-goal advantage.

The Jeffs, who improved to 10-1 all-time against Colby with the victory, have a quick turnaround before their next match, Tuesday night1s road opener at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a 7:00 p.m. start in Cambridge.

Colby College (0 - 1, 0 - 1) 1 0 -- 1 Amherst College (1 - 0, 1 - 0) 1 2 -- 3

Scoring: A Robin Ackerman '02 (1, Gretchen Bowe '01), 20:25; C Becca Bruce (1, Lyndsay Peters), 24:06; A Abby Ouimet '03 (1, Christine Ryan '04), 48:57; A Bowe (1, Ackerman), 56:38;;

Shots: A: 29 C: 19

Saves: A (Beth Sensing '02): 11 C (Jane Stevens): 17 Penalty Corners: A 17, C 15 Defensive Saves: A 1, C 2

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