(Coach Chris D'Ambrosio)
AMHERST, Mass. - Amherst College scored twice in 59 seconds in the opening minutes of the second 
half to take command of a scoreless game and went on to a 3-0 victory over women's soccer in an opening game of the NCAA Division III tournament at Hitchcock Field on the Amherst campus Saturday afternoon.
At left: Rachel Cutler battles Amherst's Kathryn Nathan.
Despite being hindered by injuries to key players entering the tournament, Eastern (12-6-3) played Amherst (13-3-1) to a scoreless opening 45 minutes. Amherst came out sharp in the second half, however, getting goals from freshmen Hannah Cooper and Kathryn Nathan less than a minute apart to take control. The Lord Jeffs added an insurance marker midway through the half and went on to its second shutout of Eastern this season in a match played in mild but rainy conditions.
With the win, Amherst advances to Sunday's 1 p.m. regional championship game against The College of New Jersey, which blanked Plattsburgh State, 2-0, in Saturday's second semfinal. The Lions are rated third in the South Atlantic Region.
The Warriors were coming off consecutive Little East Conference shutout wins to qualify for NCAA tournament play for the fourth time in program history. Amherst, which has advanced to the national quarterfinals or farther six times, had a seven-game unbeaten streak snapped in a 1-0 loss to Middlebury in the semifinals of last Saturday's New England Small College Athletic Conference tournament, but was awarded an at-large bid to its tenth NCAA tournament.
Below: Senior Taylor MacDonald outmuscles Meg Murphy of Amherst to win the ball.
The Warriors were outshot 11-3 by Amherst in the first half Saturday, but Eastern's defense had allowed the Lord Jeffs to penetrate inside the box on only a few occasions over the first 45 minutes. The Warriors did not allow an Amherst corner kick until 20 minutes remained in the first half and the first difficult save by senior keeper Kim Church (Farmington) did not occur until 18 minutes remained in the first half when she dove to the right post to haul in an Amherst bid.
Both teams had their best chances to score in the final minute of the first half. The Warriors nearly broke the scoreless tie when a shot was redirected by an Amherst defender and missed just wide right with one minute to play. The Jeffs responded with a late corner kick and got a nice shot from freshman Bridget Keller, but Church was there to make the save with seven seconds left.
Amherst snapped the tie less than three minutes into the second half came just 2:57 into when Keller played a nice cross from the right side to the head of Cooper, who sent the ball into the side netting for her sixth score of the season.
Less than a minute later, Amherst's had a shot blocked by the Eastern defense, but Nathan was there to clean up the rebound and hammer it past Church from the middle of the box.
Trailing 3-0, Eastern broke through with 17 minutes to play, but Amherst sophomore keeper Allie Horwitz came up with her best save of the afternoon. Sophomore midfielder Sam Konopka (Hebron) lined up for a free kick from 20 yards out and sent a beautiful ball over a wall of Lord Jeff defenders. Her shot was headed straight for the back of the net, but Horwitz leaped up and punched the ball over the goal with her right hand for one of her nicest saves of the season. 
At right: Lauren Hickey (at right) and Sarah Swann embrace following Saturday's loss.
Due to injuries, five key Eastern players saw limited or no time. Senior midfielder Sarah Swann (Oxford) and sophomore forward Lauren Greeney (Bethel) missed the match, while sophomore defender Laura Violette (Wallingford) and top freshmen playmakers Kelly Wallace (South Windsor) and Taylor Buchanan (Enfield) had their play limited. Swann, the 2009 Little East Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year, sustained a concussion in Saturday's conference championship win over Keene State. Greeney had returned to action to see limited minutes in each of the last three games, but was unable to play against Amherst. Violette, Wallace and Buchanan all saw minutes against Amherst, but were limited by various injuries.
Freshman forward Daniela Marchitto (Orange), the LEC Rookie-of-the-Year and the team's third-leading scorer, spent most of the afternoon dueling with Amherst sophomore back Jill Kochanek as the Warriors' principle offensive target. Without her usual supporting cast, however, Marchitto had few options and was limited to one shot by Kochanek, who had had significant height and weight advantages.
Amherst College 3, Eastern Conn. 0
Eastern Conn. (12-6-3) 0 0 -- 0
Amherst (13-3-1) 0 3 -- 3
Scoring: Hannah Cooper (Bridget Keller) 47:57; Kathryn Nathan 48:55; Maureen Griffin (Kyla Woodhouse) 66:43.
Shots: E-9, A-22; Saves: E-Kim Church 7, A-Allie Horwitz 5.
Corner kicks: E-2, A-6.
