With heavy snow blitzing Hitchcock Field, the top-seeded women’s soccer team booted away the wintry conditions en route to a nerve-racking 3-2 overtime victory over eighth-seeded Bowdoin in the NESCAC quarterfinals.
The undefeated Jeffs (15-0-0), ranked No. 8 in the nation, averted a first-round scare to continue their remarkable winning streak.
After navigating past a dangerous Bowdoin side, Amherst will battle fifth-seeded Wesleyan this Saturday for a berth in the NESCAC championship game.
Galvanized by a spirited home crowd, the women’s soccer team delighted fans with a decisive 3-0 win over Wesleyan at Homecoming this weekend. With the victory, the nationally eighth-ranked Jeffs (13-0-0, 9-0-0 NESCAC) clinched the top seed in the NESCAC tournament, thereby securing home-field advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
The Jeffs overwhelmed Wesleyan with precise ball movement, dynamic attacking combinations and relentless pressure on defense, giving the Cardinals (8-5-0, 4-5-0 NESCAC) very little time to settle on the ball.
Last year, the women’s soccer team struggled to an 8-7-2 record, failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, and ended its season with a tough 1-0 loss to Williams in the NESCAC Championship Game.
The Jeffs vowed to change the script this season. So far, the results have been spectacular.
Fueled by a punishing running attack and a tenacious defense, the football team pummeled Bowdoin 20-3 on a soggy Pratt Field last Saturday. The Jeffs improved to 2-0 with the victory, having beaten Bates 20-7 last week.
While the offense played solid, unspectacular football, it was the dominating defense that again paved the way to victory. The Jeffs tormented Bowdoin quarterback Grant White into throwing three interceptions, and held the Polar Bears to just 94 passing yards and 74 rushing yards — a miniscule 2.43 yards per play.
After romping past opponents in its first three matches, the women’s soccer team eked out two nail-biting victories last week to improve to 5-0-0 (3-0-0 NESCAC). The Jeffs upset No. 15 Springfield 1-0 last Wednesday before escaping with a 2-1 overtime win over Hamilton on Saturday. The two wins propelled the Jeffs to No. 18 in the national rankings.
Fueled by a stingy defense and the sudden emergence of sophomore striker Sarah Duffy, the women’s soccer team roared into the new season with three shutout victories this past week. The Jeffs routed Mount Holyoke 7-0 last Wednesday, then took out NESCAC foes Bates and Middlebury — both matches ended in a 2-0 result — at Hitchcock Field over the weekend.
After capturing the NCAA championship this past spring, the men’s tennis team launched into its fall season with an array of impressive performances at the Trinity Invitational Tournament this past weekend.
Justin Reindel ’14 stormed past the competition to win the ‘A Flight’ singles title, while Eli Mlaver ’14 captured the ‘B Flight’ singles championship. In doubles action, the tandem of Daniel Keolasy ’13 and Surainder Asokaraj ’12 secured the ‘B Flight’ doubles title.
