Box Score
Recap courtesy of Amherst College
AMHERST - Anya Kauffman netted the game winner with just 57 seconds left in the first overtime to lift the Tufts women's soccer team to a 2-1 OT win over Amherst on Hitchcock Field.
Falling to 2-1-2 (1-1-2 NESCAC) on the season, the Jeffs suffered their first loss to the Jumbos (4-2-0/3-1-0 NESCAC) in five meetings. Tufts has won four in a row, including the last two in overtime against conference teams.
Generating the game's first quality scoring chance, Tufts' Brooke Fortin tracked down a cross in the box. Making a clean pass through two defenders, the forward nearly caught Amherst's defense out of position, but an offside call negated the advantage.
Continuing to move forward, Tufts broke through in the 39th minute. Eluding a pair of Amherst defenders, junior Victoria Stoj ripped a shot into the lower left corner of the net to give the visitors the lead heading into the intermission.
Hoping to switch the momentum early in the second stanza, Amherst nearly found its equalizer. Collecting a cross in the box, Alex Hart put a header on net. Gathering the rebound, Sarah Duffy lofted a shot toward the top corner, but senior goalkeeper Kristin Wright punched the ball over the bar to momentarily keep the Jeffs off the board.
Moving into the attacking third in the 72nd minute, Chloe McKenzie dribbled past a pair of Tufts defenders. Firing a low shot toward the back post, the striker netted her first goal of 2013, pulling Amherst even at 71:20.
Hoping to bounce back at the end of regulation, Tufts outshot Amherst 4-0 over the final 18:40, but could not break through as the game headed into overtime. With both teams notching a pair of tries over the first five minutes of the extra session, Amherst moved the ball into a dangerous position.
Controlling a blocked down Duffy shot, Hart put a try on target, but Wright smothered the attempt to keep the Jumbos level. Switching fields, Carla Kruyff sent a volley high at 95:46. With less than a minute to go in the first overtime, Kaufmann received the ball near the top of the 18. Putting a low tracer on net, the senior captain slotted a shot opposite of sophomore netminder Holly Burwick to seal the win.
Amherst finished with a decisive 29-15 shots advantage and a 10-2 edge in corners. Burwick made four saves before giving way to Meghan Mills three minutes into overtime. Wright made seven stops in the win en route to her third victory of the season.
All four of the Jeffs' conference games have gone to overtime this season, with Amherst posting a 1-1-2 mark in those contests. The Purple & White are back in action on Sunday, at Bates. Tufts also plays on Sunday at home versus unbeaten Trinity. Game time is 12:30 pm.
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