This past Saturday, Nov. 4, Williams quashed any hopes the Amherst women’s soccer team had of returning to the NESCAC championship game this year. After a big upset over the second-ranked Conn. College Camels in the tournament quarterfinals, the Mammoths were looking to beat the odds once again and top perennial powerhouse Williams in the semifinals. Despite a valiant effort from Amherst in the first 45 minutes of the game, an offensively dominant second half by the Ephs propelled the favorites to a comfortable 4-2 victory.
On Monday Nov. 6, around 2:30 p.m., the Amherst men’s soccer team received the wonderful news that they received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Shouts of excitement erupted from the film room in the athletic center, where the Mammoths were watching the NCAA Division III Tournament selection show.
This past weekend, the Amherst women’s cross country team travelled to Bates to compete in the NESCAC championship race, where the Mammoths claimed both the individual title and a fifth place overall. The Mammoths, with 133 points, finished just behind the hosts.
Nicky Roberts ’18 finished first for her second week in a row after coming in the top spot at the Little Three Championship. She raced into first with a time of 21:19.9, making her the eighth woman in the program’s history to claim an individual NESCAC Championship title.
Last week was undoubtedly disappointing for the Amherst men’s soccer team. After ending their regular season with a 2-1 win over Trinity, the Mammoths fell to Hamilton on Saturday in the NESCAC quarterfinals. As the No. 2 seed in the tournament, Amherst was heavily favored in Saturday’s contest. Now the Continentals will advance to next weekend’s semifinal match at Tufts University, where they will face the top seeded Jumbos.
With a strong core of returning players, the Amherst men’s hockey team is poised for a successful 2017-2018 campaign. The Mammoths hope to improve upon last year’s overall record of 14-7-3, which culminated in a NESCAC quarterfinal appearance.
“We definitely have high expectations for ourselves this season,” two-time captain Thomas Lindstrom ’18 said. “There has always been a lot of parity in NESCAC hockey, but with the experience and number of veterans we have, we expect to have a successful season and compete for a top spot in the conference.”
The Amherst field hockey team faced a challenging slate of opponents last week, competing against two NESCAC rivals. On Oct. 25, Amherst faced off against Trinity in an away game, from which the hosts emerged victorious, defeating Amherst 4-0.
However, the final score did not reflect how close the game actually was.
Women’s volleyball (16-9) ended the regular season on a high note, securing a spot in the NESCAC playoffs after beating Bates on Thursday and Colby on Saturday.
