Over homecoming weekend, the Amherst men’s soccer team faced off against a pair of opponents, NESCAC rival Wesleyan and nonconference foe Farmingdale State College. The Mammoths managed to emerge with two home wins, scoring nine goals over the course of the weekend and improving to an overall record of 10-2-2.
Amherst came out firing on Saturday against the Cardinals, with Sebastian Derby ’21 scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes of the match. Assisted by Felix Wu ’21 and Weller Hlinomaz ’18, respectively, Derby managed to notch both goals within 31 seconds of each other. The Mammoths managed to hang onto the 2-0 lead for most of the first half, but Wesleyan cut their lead to one in the 38th minute. The Cardinals’ Nick Jackson scored an unassisted goal, which seemed to shift the momentum in Wesleyan’s favor.
However, Fikayo Ajayi ’19 crushed any Wesleyan hopes with a goal in the final minute of the half, his third tally of the season.
Aidan Murray ‘18 scored the final goal of the match in the 74th minute of play. Fellow senior Aziz Khan played Murray through on goal with a delicate pass, and Murray fired a shot past the Cardinals’ keeper. In addition to the win, the Mammoths celebrated their eight seniors — forwards Murray, Khan, Hlinomaz, Kieran Bellew, midfielder Sam Malnik, defenders Cameron Hardington and Alden Von Ziegesar and goalkeeper Lee Owen.
Amherst followed up Saturday’s win with a dominant 5-0 victory over Farmingdale. The Mammoths got on the board within the first minute of regulation, as a Rams defender shanked the ball sending it into the back of his own net. Following the Rams’ own goal, four different Amherst players recorded goals to secure the commanding result. Bijan Zojaji ’20, Lee Owen ’18, Matteo Mangiardi ’21 and Khan all got on the board, demonstrating the depth of the Mammoths’ offense.
The team utilized their bench in the second half to retain some element of freshness and protect their starters from injury. In net, Will Dunne ’20 made three saves to earn the shutout.
However, the Mammoths didn’t rest on their laurels for long, quickly turning their attention to a key conference clash against Trinity this coming week.
“Trinity is a really important game,” Dunne said. “We’re feeling really good right now, and it would be great to head into the postseason coming off a big conference win.”
Amherst faces the Bantams in Hartford on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m.
