The Amherst women’s tennis team concluded the fall portion of its 2015-16 campaign this week at the NEWITT Invitational, hosted by Smith College. The Jeffs will head into winter training with confidence after successful results from many of their doubles teams this weekend.
This past weekend, the men’s soccer team traveled to Maine and continued their winning ways with a pair of NESCAC victories. By beating Colby, 2-0, and Bates, 3-0, the second-ranked Jeffs extended their winning streak to 13 games and now stand at 13-0-0 on the season and 8-0-0 in NESCAC play.
On Saturday afternoon against Colby, the Jeffs held a 6-1 shot advantage over the Mules in first-half action, but were unable to convert on any of these opportunities in the opening period.
On the road this weekend, the 19th-ranked women’s soccer team (8-2-2) notched their fifth shutout on the year in a 2-0 victory over last-ranked Colby College before playing the 7th-ranked Bates College to a 0-0 draw.
After 44 scoreless minutes, the Jeffs were the first to break the deadlock. Senior Rachael Abernethy found her way behind the Mules defense and forced the Mules keeper to be charged with an interference call in a desperate attempt to prevent an Amherst goal.
The Amherst College’s men’s cross-country team came in second at Little Three championships last Saturday, Oct. 17. Hosting bitter rivals Williams and Wesleyan in the 8-kilometer race, the Jeffs fell to the Ephs in a tight contest.
The Amherst College field hockey team spent the weekend in Maine, where the team matched up first against Colby on Saturday and then against Bates the next day. Ranked No. 14 entering the weekend, the purple and white fell short to the lower-ranked Mules in a frustrating and heartbreaking loss that dropped them to a 3-4 record in NESCAC play.
The next day, the Jeffs were able to bounce back to defeat the Bobcats in a shutout win. Their record now stands at 8-4 overall and 4-4 in the NESCAC.
The Amherst College football team extended its win streak to 15 consecutive games after a 31-13 defeat of Colby on Saturday afternoon. The Jeffs set a team record for the most consecutive wins in program history, and have won 20 straight games against the Mules. Amherst progressed to 4-0 on the season, while Colby dropped to 0-4.
The first 15 minutes of play were uneventful, and both Amherst and Colby were forced to punt on each drive. Despite a slow start to the game, the Jeffs managed to get things rolling in the second quarter.
Recent years have seen several student-led attempts to encourage discussions on the place, contemporary relevance and inclusivity of our current unofficial mascot, Lord Jeffery Amherst. These conversations should continue. The college’s community has demonstrated a desire for a serious reconsideration of our mascot and we should not let past failures stifle student speech. Nonetheless, the question should not be approached as a given either in favor of or opposed to the Lord Jeff.
