Crippled by a porous defense, the men’s lacrosse team suffered a brutal end to a frustrating season, losing 19-9 to top-seeded Middlebury in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament last weekend. Plagued by inexperience, erratic play and an inability to win tight games, the Jeffs finished the spring campaign at 5-10 (3-7 NESCAC).
With its NESCAC playoff hopes hanging by a thread, the men’s lacrosse team staved off elimination with a gritty 10-9 win over archrival Williams on Saturday.
The season-saving victory moved the Jeffs (3-6 NESCAC, 5-8 overall) into an eighth place tie with Williams (3-6 NESCAC, 5-7 overall) in the league standings. The top eight teams in the 11-team conference qualify for the NESCAC Tournament, which begins next weekend.
Floundering in the midst of a rebuilding season, the men’s lacrosse team saw its NESCAC playoff hopes take a devastating hit this past week. The Jeffs dropped consecutive home games to Tufts and Conn. College, losing 12-8 on Saturday and 8-7 on Tuesday.
The Jeffs (4-8, 2-6 NESCAC) now find themselves near the cellar of the NESCAC standings, sitting in the 9th place out of 11 teams. The top eight teams qualify for the NESCAC tournament.
Crippled by a lethargic start, the men’s lacrosse team endured another gut-wrenching NESCAC defeat last weekend, falling to regional powerhouse Middlebury 10-8.
Facing an 8-3 deficit at halftime, the Jeffs (3-6, 2-4 NESCAC) mounted a stirring comeback to knot the score at 8-8 entering the fourth quarter, but Middlebury (8-2, 5-2 NESCAC) netted two late goals to escape with the victory.
Mired in a three-game losing streak, the men’s lacrosse team entered Saturday’s game at Hamilton desperate for a victory.
With a NESCAC record of 1-3 and games looming against top contenders Tufts, Middlebury and Conn College, the Jeffs could ill-afford to lose at Hamilton (4-4, 2-4 NESCAC); otherwise, the unthinkable scenario of missing the NESCAC Tournament — (where eight of 11 teams qualify) — would continue to emerge as a distinct possibility.
Enduring some growing pains with a young, inexperienced roster, the men’s lacrosse team suffered back-to-back overtime defeats at Colby and Bates last weekend.
In both heartbreaking losses, the Jeffs (0-2) rallied from late deficits in regulation, only to concede the first goal in sudden-death overtime. Amherst is now just 2-8 in its last 10 games against NESCAC opponents (dating back to last season).
After falling spectacularly short of expectations last year, the men’s lacrosse team begins the new season with a chip on its shoulder, eager to reassert its status as one of the top teams in the NESCAC. Starting fresh after a disappointing 9-7 (5-5 NESCAC) season in 2012, the Jeffs hope to rebound with an influx of new young talent.
“We will be a fairly young squad,” third-year head coach Jon Thompson said. “My goals will be to relentlessly pursue individual and collective improvement so that we are playing our best lacrosse in late April.”
