Football
The football team finished its season ranked second in the NESCAC with a 6-2 record blemished only by losses to Tufts University and Trinity College. The Jeffs came out of the gate strong, winning their first five games, although they did not always win in the prettiest fashion. In week two, Amherst secured a 28-7 lead in the fourth quarter against a Bowdoin College squad that had not won a football game in its last 13 attempts, a streak dating back to 2002. As the Jeffs put in their subs, however, the Polar Bears roared back, tying the game at 28. The Jeffs were only able to get out of Brunswick with a win by virtue of a nine-yard, game-winning touchdown run by senior quad-captain Fletcher Ladd.
Despite the scare, the Jeffs came into Family Weekend looking to extend their winning streak to six games against the underrated Tufts Jumbos, who came into the contest with a 1-4 mark that clearly did not represent their potential. Amherst could not move the ball down the field the entire game; the Jumbos held them to just over 200 yards of offense. Trailing 10-3 in the fourth quarter, Amherst had a pair of opportunities to knot the score with the ball inside the red zone, but on both occasions critical fourth down conversions failed, allowing Tufts to escape Pratt Field with a 10-3 win.
Despite the disappointing loss to Tufts and the subsequent week's predictable defeat at the hands of the dominant Trinity Bantams-who have only lost a single game in the last three years-the Jeffs were able to salvage their season by defeating the hated Ephs on Homecoming weekend. The game was basically a war between two of the best running backs in the NESCAC, with Williams' Tim Crawley racking up 192 yards on 39 carries and Ladd gaining 186 yards on 34 carries. The defensive effort was also pivotal for the Jeffs, forcing three turnovers and preventing Williams from scoring in the remaining 11-plus minutes after Macione's aforementioned touchdown catch.
Men's soccer
The men's soccer team started off its season on fire, winning 10 of the first 11 games, including five out of six conference tilts. The only loss was a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime decision against Middlebury College, in which Panther David LaRocca netted a beautiful bicycle kick midway through the extra period to give Middlebury the victory. Michael Wohl '07 and Joe Gannon '06 led the way offensively for the Jeffs, with both players garnering All-NESCAC honors, while junior goaltender Greg Lockwood held opponents to just under one goal per contest.
Nevertheless, the Jeffs looked solid heading into their final three games of the season having won three matches in a row, including consecutive shutouts against Colby and Connecticut Colleges. The Jeffs, however, fell into a scoring drought at precisely the wrong time. The first pitfall came against Wesleyan University, when Amherst managed just four shots and failed to score, losing the contest 1-0. The Cardinals were hardly more proficient as they managed only two shots, but one of them snuck past Lockwood.
The game three days later against Bates College was strikingly similar, with both teams struggling to score all afternoon. Wohl had a breakaway early in the contest that was narrowly saved, and Gannon sent one shot off the crossbar and had another barely saved by the outstretched hand of the Bobcat goalie, but that would be as close as the Jeffs would come to finding the back of the net in the 2-0 loss.
Amherst once again failed to score the following week in the season finale against Williams, managing just two shots during a 2-0 loss that caused the Jeffs to lose home-field advantage for the opening round of the NESCAC Tournament. The offense picked up its act in the tournament itself, as the Jeffs amassed six shots against third-ranked Bowdoin, but none of them found their mark, as Amherst was shut out for the fourth game in a row. Once again, there were near misses, most notably when Wohl corralled a loose ball in the box but sent his shot just wide of the open net. Had just a few of those shots gone in for the Jeffs during the last weeks of the season, the outcome could have been very different.
Women's soccer
The Jeffs cruised through the regular season behind the strength of senior captain Ashley Harmeling and classmate Tracy Montigny, who both earned Adidas All-New England, as well as First-Team All-NESCAC honors. The Jeffs finished their regular season schedule with a record of 9-1-4, including an undefeated 6-0-3 mark in NESCAC play.
The Jeffs finished up that remarkable regular season in satisfying fashion. Sophomore Jenny Muller scored the only goal of the afternoon against Williams, allowing the Jeffs to secure the Little Three title as well as the second seed and home-field advantage in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament. Sophomore goalie Piper Crowell notched her fourth shutout of the season by turning away all five of the Ephs' shots.
Disappointment loomed, however, as the 21st-ranked Jeffs began their NESCAC title defense by hosting the seventh seeded Conn. Camels in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. Camel Lucy Strong netted the only goal of the contest, but it did not come without controversy. After a long pass towards the Amherst net, Strong and Crowell both sprinted after the ball, and Crowell seemed to gain possession after a diving lunge, but Strong knocked the ball away and into the corner of the net. The referees did not make any call. It was the first time in the history of the tournament that a seven seed defeated a two seed. Despite the letdown, Amherst still had an outstanding campaign, losing only twice and beating Williams.
Field hockey
The field hockey team had a tough year, finishing 5-8 and failing to qualify for the NESCAC Tournament. The season started with promise, as the Jeffs got off to a 4-2 start, including a 2-1 mark in the NESCAC, but a five-game losing streak in the middle of the season put the team in a hole out of which they could not climb.
The season came down to the final game against Little Three rival Williams. Entering the game with a 3-5 record in the NESCAC, a win would have secured a birth for the Jeffs in the postseason. Senior goalie K.C. Cosentino had a stellar game, finishing with 15 saves, and forward Rachel Carr-Harris '07 notched the only Amherst goal of the game, but their effort fell just short when Williams defender Susan Shea (twin sister of Jeff Carolyn Shea) notched the game-winner in overtime to give the Ephs a 2-1 victory.
Katherine Skrivan '06 earned All-NESCAC honors for her efforts in posting a team-best 18 points on six goals and six assists.
Volleyball
The Firedogs started their season with an 11-match winning streak and finished the year with a 23-7 record, including an 8-2 mark in conference play. The team dominated the vast majority of the NESCAC, but could not find a way to scratch out a victory over Tufts or Williams, a hump they will look to overcome next year. Amherst lost two painstakingly close matches with Tufts, including a season-ending loss in the semifinals of the NESCAC Tournament. Both matches not only went the full five games, but in both contests, the Firedogs jumped out to commanding two-game leads, only to see the Jumbos come tearing back. Despite the effort of rookie hitter Jaclyn DeMais, who posted 22 kills and five blocks and Kate Raddock '06 who had 43 digs, Amherst fell just short, 15-13, in the final game.
The Firedogs were still able to secure their 12th-straight postseason appearance and proved that they will be a force to be reckoned with next season. Senior captain setter Annie Hoeksma and sophomore outside hitter Kristin Quinn were both named to the All-NESCAC team.
Golf
The men's golf team showed substantial potential but was plagued by inconsistency throughout the fall season, as senior captain Justin Sharaf and sophomores Sean Jules and Andrew Bruns could never get on the same page at the same tournament. The closest they came was at the NESCAC Championships, where Jules led the way with a two-day score of 155, followed closely by Sharaf at 157. Although Bruns found his swing for a team-best 76 on the second day, he shot an 87 on the first day to finish with a 163. The team took fourth overall, but was unable to accomplish their goal of defeating the Ephs, who won the tournament.
The women's team didn't confront any NESCAC foes in the fall, but the Jeffs honed their skills against stiff competition, especially in tournaments such as the season-opening Dartmouth Invitational where they held their own against not only larger Ivy League schools, but also gigantic state schools such as Rutgers University.
The women were led by senior captains Meg Sullivan and Sarah Godwin, while on the men's side Sharaf earned numerous honors and was named a Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar.
Tennis
The men's tennis team went undefeated through the entire fall season, with the Jeffs' most dominating performance coming in the ECAC Championships, their season-opening tournament. The Jeffs won the event for the second year in a row, this time by the largest margin in the event's eight-year history, with Danny Babkes '06 winning the top singles flight and first-years Jeffrey Wan and Tal Avrahami teaming to win the doubles crown. Amherst spent the rest of the season stomping Brandeis, Roger Williams and Salve Regina Universities and Colby, losing only one match in those four contests.
The women were almost as dominant in their fall slate, going 4-1, with the lone loss coming to UMass-Amherst. Their victories included a 9-0 walloping of Williams in which Amherst did not drop a single set. They also easily defeated NESCAC rivals Wesleyan, Bowdoin and Colby.
Cross country
The men's cross country team faced a rebuilding year, but with the addition of first-year sensation Tomas Morrissey along with senior co-captains Dave Molina and Matt Katz, the Jeffs were able to produce a fairly solid season. Although they were certainly disappointed with their third-place showing at the Little Three Championships, the Jeffs were able to finish sixth out of 11 schools at the NESCAC Championships, led by the efforts of Morrissey, who garnered All-NESCAC honors with his 11th-place finish.
The women were stellar as usual, winning both the Amherst and Tufts Invitationals and finishing third at the NESCAC Championships behind Middlebury and Williams, who tied for first. All-Americans Shauneen Garrahan '07 and senior co-captain Carter Hamill finished fifth and third, respectively, to earn First-Team All-NESCAC honors. First-year Kim Partee ushered in the future of the women's team by taking 14th in the race, also good enough for All-NESCAC honors.
The women went on to place 12th at the NCAA Championships; Garrahan and Hamill finished 24th and fifth, respectively, which allowed Garrahan to end her season on her second straight NCAA All-America performance, and allowed Hamill to end her cross country career on her fourth consecutive.