The Amherst Yo-Ho Penguins participated in a tournament at Williams this past weekend. The team was coming off a 4-0 home stand that put the Yo-Hos at the top of their division. Many players were unable to attend the tournament this weekend due to prior obligations, but the team was able to play with a smaller roster.
After a tough loss to Williams 15-13, Amherst regrouped for their match against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Despite a 5-4 lead with 30 seconds left, the Coast Guardwas able to score a goal with seven seconds remaining. Never one to back down, pushed the ball forward and was able to secure a foul with one second left, stopping play. First-year Nathan Ives raised the ball and fired a shot that bounced under the Coast Guard goalie’s arm to give Amherst the 6-5 victory. The Yo-Hos nearly drowned Ives in excitement for his late-game heroics.

The next day, Amherst rose to an early match against UMass and easily handled the Minutemen 11-3. Following that match was an anticipated match against Tufts. Missing some key players, the Yo-Hos fell 16-6. Overall, Amherst went 2-2 over the weekend to finish the regular season 6-2. Despite the somewhat disappointing results, junior Taylor Wilson is pleased with the opportunity younger and newer players had to play against tough teams. “A lot of the newer players have been putting in a lot of minutes and playing very well,” Wilson said.

Amherst travels to Bowdoin in two weeks for the conference championships. As the second seed from the southern division, Amherst will play the first and third seed from the north division. Amherst looks to continue its past success at the tournament, having made it to the championship game for the last four years in a row.