Spurred by a suffocating defense and rock-solid goaltending, the men’s lacrosse team defeated archrival Wesleyan 4-2 in a gritty affair this weekend. In a dominating defensive performance, the Jeffs held Wesleyan scoreless for the final 55 minutes of Saturday’s contest.
The magical moments keep coming for the red-hot men’s lacrosse team, which is putting together a season to remember. The No. 10 Jeffs pulled out two thrilling comeback wins last week, earning 7-6 victories over Springfield and Colby. Channeling their inner Houdini, the Jeffs faced early 3-0 deficits in both games, but battled back and scored clutch goals in last-minute situations. The surging Jeffs (11-1 overall, 6-1 NESCAC)have not lost since a season-opening defeat to No 1. Tufts on Mar. 12.
With the return of dynamic forward Jae Heo ’14 after a two-year hiatus, the men’s soccer team appears primed for a NESCAC title run this season. The addition of Heo, plus a talented returning core from last season, should make Amherst one of the teams to beat in the conference.
The third time was the charm for the men’s tennis team, as the Jeffs captured their first NCAA title with a convincing 5-2 victory over Emory Univ. in the national finals this May after runner-up finishes in both 2009 and 2010.
The win over Emory capped a remarkable, record-breaking season for the Jeffs. Earlier in the spring, Amherst won its first NESCAC title since 1992, going undefeated against conference opponents. The Jeffs completed the season with a 38-1 record, with the only loss coming against No. 2 Claremont during the team’s California spring break trip in March.
Bolstered by a strong returning core, the field hockey team is looking to contend for its first-ever NESCAC title this season. The Jeffs, ranked 14th in the national preseason poll, bring back all three of their All-Region selections, and will look to build off last season’s 12-4 record.
The field hockey program has improved its record every year since 2005; after posting a 5-9 mark (.357) that year, the Jeffs have gone 8-8 (.500), 8-7 (.533), 10-5 (.667), 12-5 (.706) and 12-4 (.750) last year.
