Behind another staunch defensive effort, the Lord Jeffs rolled to their second win of the season Saturday. Amherst allowed only one touchdown on the afternoon and led by as many as 24 points before coasting to a 27-11 victory.
After rolling to an easy win at Hamilton in their season opener, the Jeffs expected — and got — a stern challenge from the Polar Bears. Hosting their first game at the newly renovated Pratt Field, Amherst was too motivated to allow a letdown.
The men’s and women’s tennis team both got off to an excellent start this past weekend at the ITA Tournament held at Middlebury for the men and at Williams for the women. The Jeffs brought home three titles: women’s doubles thanks to dynamic duo and reigning NCAA Div. III champions, Jordan Brewer ’14 and Gabby Devlin ’14; women’s singles also won by Brewer; and men’s doubles won by Joey Fritz ’14 and Ben Fife ’16. The weekend displayed some great play, and the fall season looks extremely promising for both teams.
Propelled by stingy defense and a golden-goal overtime strike by Max Fikke ’14, the men’s soccer team avenged last year’s heartbreaking NCAA quarterfinal loss with a gritty 1-0 win at Williams on Saturday.
For 105 scoreless minutes, Saturday’s tilt followed a similar script to Amherst-Williams soccer games in 2012, with two rivals locked in a physical, feisty defensive struggle. Last season, two of the three games ended in a 0-0 tie in regulation, and Saturday’s match appeared destined for the same conclusion.
It was a relatively successful weekend for the men’s cross country team as the Jeffs took home fifth place finish at the 19-team Univ. of Southern Maine Invitational.
As a team, the Jeffs finished the five-mile course just seconds behind Tufts, who took fourth place overall. MIT, Bates and Bowdoin also beat out Amherst, but the Jeffs’ performance was strong enough to put them in the top quarter of the field. Notably, the Jeffs’ 113 points put them far ahead of NESCAC rivals Conn. College (177 points) and Colby (206 points).
April showers bring May flowers, and the dog days of August bring the Sundays of September. With the beginning of fall at Amherst, classes resume, the temperature begins to drop, but, most importantly, NFL football is back. Three weeks into the season, there is already an abundance of headlines. Many of the usual suspects continue to exert their dominance, but there are also some new sheriffs in town. Much of these teams’ early success can be attributed to some old faces in new places.
Teams that Have Impressed
The Firedogs entered the weekend with energy and enthusiasm that carried over to their play in a slate of home matches, including their home opener against NESCAC rival Bowdoin.
“Bowdoin is a big rival for us and we were all really fired up to compete against them,” Nicole Carter ’16 said of the match.
Amherst got off to a fast start against the Polar Bears and held the lead during much of the first set, but they couldn’t hold on to get the win in what turned out to be a pivotal set, losing 28-26.
The Jeffs travelled to Williamstown on Saturday, Sept. 21 to take on the Ephs in an important NESCAC West battle.
Amherst controlled play throughout much of the game, keeping the ball in Williams’ end.
“We came out really strong right after the whistle blew,” said Catie Downey ’16.
The Jeffs wanted to put pressure on the Williams defense and were able to take 11 shots on goal.
“We were never satisfied with the lead and never let up on the Williams’ goalie,” added Katie Paolano ’16.
