Amherst began its conference schedule Sept. 13 with a tidy 3-0 victory on the road at Tufts University. Forward Joe Gannon '06, last year's NESCAC Rookie of the Year, got the Jeffs on the board early with a goal in the 13th minute. Quad-captain seniors Jeff Cantwell and Frank Perry added goals of their own to close out the host Jumbos and secure the first win of the year for Amherst. Goaltender Greg Lockwood '06 went largely untested, but made one save in the shutout.
Amherst continued its road trip the following week at Bates College, where the Jeffs triumphed over the Bobcats 2-1. Gannon once again opened the scoring for Amherst, staking the Jeffs to an early 1-0 lead that would hold up until the second half. In the second frame, Amherst earned a penalty kick, and quad-captain defender Mike York '04 was sent to take the kick. York converted on the attempt, extending Amherst's lead to two and also registering the first goal of his career. Amherst goalie Dan Glenn '05 allowed a Bobcat goal a couple minutes later, but held on for the win, making six saves overall.
This year's emotional high to date came one week later at Hitchcock Field, where Amherst came from behind to beat Bowdoin College 3-1. Amherst had knocked Bowdoin out of the postseason last year, a loss the Polar Bears hadn't forgotten about when they arrived at the Jeffs' house on Sept. 27. Amherst dominated the first half of play, easily winning the possession battle, but could not break through for the game's first goal. Bowdoin struck for a goal late in the first half, and for the first time all year, Amherst went to the break trailing.
But the Jeffs responded in a big way by striking back for three quick goals early in the second half. York got the equalizer by heading a Gannon corner past the Bowdoin keeper. Rookie forward Mike Wohl '07 gave the Jeffs the lead minutes later off a pass from midfielder Ian Lovett '06, and Lovett closed it out by redirecting a throw-in from defender Brad Coffey '04. All three goals came in a span of 12:01. Just like that, the Jeffs were 3-0, atop the conference and ranked seventh in the nation.
The drama continued the following week at Hitchcock Field as the Jeffs played the Panthers of Middlebury College to a scoreless tie. Middlebury, Amherst's fiercest opponent of the year, played Amherst tough, challenging the Jeffs physically like no other team had. Scoring chances were in the Jeffs' favor, but despite the chances, Amherst could not get on the board. Lockwood was stellar in net, turning aside 14 Panther shots en route to the eighth shutout of his young career. While the tie allowed Williams to take first place from the unbeaten Jeffs, Amherst garnered the sixth spot in the national rankings, its highest ranking of the year.
Amherst was flying high, which perhaps caused the Jeffs to overlook the Camels of Connecticut College, one of the weakest teams in the conference. The Camels held Amherst in check through the first 45 minutes, then knocked the game's only goal past Glenn in the second half to secure their first NESCAC win of the season. For Amherst, unbeaten until that point, the mid-week loss was stunning. The loss allowed Williams, which had held the top spot in the conference thanks to a scheduling quirk, to pull a full game ahead of Amherst. Williams is still unbeaten at 5-0-1.
Amherst shook off the Wednesday loss to Conn. with a win at Colby College last Saturday. Forward Adrien de Bontin '06 scored his first goal of the season late in the first half, then added his second of the year a little over one minute later. Perry rounded out the scoring for Amherst with a goal in the second half.
Now Amherst looks towards Wesleyan and the conclusion of its conference schedule. Wesleyan is the fifth place team in NESCAC at 3-2, but it's a weak 3-2. Wesleyan has beaten Colby, Conn. and Bates, eighth, ninth and 10th place, respectively, in the standings. The Cardinals' two losses have come at the hands of Middlebury and Bowdoin, the two teams directly in front of Wesleyan.
After this week, the Jeffs have just two conference games left. Next Saturday Amherst travels to Williams before closing out the year at home against Trinity College on Nov. 1. But while Amherst is in second place, it still controls its playoff destiny. If Amherst wins-out, it will earn a first-round bye in the three-round NESCAC tournament and host the semifinal and final rounds. First place is a huge advantage going into the playoffs, and winning the NESCAC championship is the surest way to guarantee a trip to the NCAA tournament. Amherst's loss to Conn. means the team has no margin for error heading into the stretch run. But for a team with its eyes on the national title, winning three in a row shouldn't sound too daunting a task.
"NESCAC is a very tough conference, but we've done extremely well against some very good teams," said Co-Head Coach Peter Gooding. "I think we will be the one team the other teams are not going to want to play in the playoffs."