Perhaps still suffering from an NCAA Frozen Four hangover last winter, the men’s hockey team continued its maddeningly inconsistent season by splitting a home doubleheader this past weekend. The Jeffs posted a solid 3-1 win over Wesleyan on Friday night before collapsing in a 7-4 loss to Trinity on Saturday.
The weekend’s results moved the Jeffs’ record to 11-5-2 (7-4-1 NESCAC), dropping Amherst to fifth place in the NESCAC standings, behind Bowdoin, Williams, Middlebury and Trinity.
The men’s hockey team battled through a pair of tight games last weekend, eking past Wesleyan 3-2 on Friday before falling to Trinity 1-0 on Saturday. After surging into the NCAA Frozen Four last winter, the Jeffs (4-2-1, 3-1-0 NESCAC) are still trying to piece together consistent, 60-minute performances on the ice in the early season. Despite securing a 3-2 road win at Wesleyan (3-3-1, 1-2-1 NESCAC) in a crucial rivalry matchup, many players were disappointed in the team’s overall performance, describing it as lethargic and uninspired.
Soccer can be a cruel sport, a game in which it’s often better to be lucky than good.
Derailed by five shots off the crossbar, the men’s soccer team suffered a devastating loss to Williams in the NCAA Quarterfinals last Sunday, battling to a 0-0 tie in regulation before falling 4-3 in penalty kicks.
Amherst (17-0-3) controlled play for the majority of the contest — outshooting the Ephs 23-7 and peppering the Williams’ box with corner kicks and long throw-ins all afternoon — but inexplicably failed to find the back of the net.
Fresh off an emotional NESCAC title over Williams last weekend, the men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 with a 4-0 victory over Dickinson (Pa.) on Sunday.
Clinging to a 1-0 lead after 60 tense minutes, the Jeffs (16-0-2) exploded for three goals in an eight-minute span in the second half to bury Dickinson (13-4-2).
Bolstered by stingy defense and a relentless, high-tempo style on offense, the men’s soccer team captured its second consecutive NESCAC championship last weekend, beating Williams 2-0 in the final to secure the trophy.
“Winning a NESCAC title against Williams is something that every Amherst soccer player dreams of doing,” co-captain James Mooney ’13E said.
The undefeated Jeffs (15-0-2, 8-0-2 NESCAC) earned back-to-back league titles for the first time in school history. Amherst has now won three of the past five NESCAC championships.
Seeking back-to-back NESCAC titles for the first time in school history, the men’s soccer team steamrolled past Middlebury 4-0 in the first round of the conference tournament this past Saturday.
The undefeated Jeffs (13-0-2, 8-0-2 NESCAC) will travel to Williamstown this weekend to battle Wesleyan (9-3-3, 6-2-2 NESCAC) in the NESCAC semifinals. Williams (13-0-2, 8-0-2 NESCAC), who snatched the top seed over Amherst by virtue of a coin flip, hosts Tufts in the other semifinal.
Hounded by a raucous, hostile Wesleyan homecoming crowd, the men’s soccer team battled to a 1-1 draw against the Cardinals last weekend.
Spencer Noon ’13 staked the Jeffs (11-0-2, 7-0-2 NESCAC) to a 1-0 lead by scoring just 22 seconds before halftime, but Wesleyan (7-3-3, 5-2-2 NESCAC) leveled the match in the 66th minute to steal a share of the points.
With Saturday’s result in the books, all three Little Ivy teams (Amherst, Williams, Wesleyan) have tied each other this season, marking the first time since 1932 that all three Little Ivy matchups have ended in draws.
