Amherst College men’s soccer impressed in an action-packed weekend. Coming off a tough loss to Middlebury last weekend, the Mammoths tied archrival Williams in a difficult away match and defeated Pine Manor College the next day.

The Mammoths started off the weekend with a 1-1 tie against Williams on Saturday. The Ephs put Amherst under pressure from the first whistle, and their early push led to a goal in the 16th minute. Williams’ Malcolm Singleton got on the end of a deep throw-in from Andrew Mathew and fired a shot into the back of the Mammoth net from just outside the six.

Amherst was unable to answer Williams before the conclusion of the first half. The Mammoths were awarded a corner within the first five minutes of the second half, however, and first-year defender Gabe Gitler stepped up to take the kick. Getting his head on the end of the well-placed ball from Gitler, Cutler Coleman ’20 notched his first goal of the season to tie the score.

The momentum of the game quickly shifted in favor of Amherst, as the Mammoths continued to create quality chances until the final whistle. Senior forwards Weller Hlinomaz and Aziz Khan both rocketed shots off the post in the 55th and 74th minutes of play, but the end of regulation saw the two teams locked at 1-1. After two periods of overtime, the match ended in a draw.

First-year goalkeeper Kofi Hope-Gund also debuted, making several key saves after coming on at the half and playing the remainder of the game.

On Sunday, the Mammoths sustained that momentum from the second half in Williamstown. Outshooting Pine Manor College 21-4, Amherst walked away from the nonconference tilt with a 5-0 victory.

Felix Wu ’21 started things off for the Mammoths with a goal in the 30th minute. Jack O’Brien ’21 and Michael Saks ’21 executed a give and go off of a short corner and found the head of Wu in the Gators’ 18.

The goal would open the floodgates for the Mammoths. Less than two minutes later, O’Brien drew a foul in the box and earned a penalty kick for Amherst. Jimmy McMillian ’20 stepped up to take the shot and calmly slotted the ball past Pine Manor’s keeper and into the back of the net.

Five minutes into the second half, Kyle Kelly ’21 scored his first collegiate goal and extended Amherst’s lead to three. Andres Pascual-Leone ’19 powered a shot on frame, and Kelly managed to find the rebound and head the ball into the upper left-hand corner of the goal. O’Brien made it 4-0 in the 67th minute when he received a ball from Matteo Mangiardi ’21 at the top of the box and was able to find the back of the net.

Dane Lind ’20 rounded things off for the Mammoths with eleven minutes remaining in the match. Getting on the end of a well-placed cross from Christopher Lewis ’19, Lind headed the ball past Pena and helped clinch the win for Amherst. Hope-Gund played in net for the Mammoths, making two saves in the Mammoths’ shutout victory.

Amherst is now 2-1-1 on the season, and they will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 30, when they host NESCAC rival Tufts University. Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m.