The team tied against Babson 1-1, reaching a stalemate after two overtimes. This was the men's first tie out of four games played so far this season.
Joe Plaisance of Babson scored the first goal off a pass from teammate Peter DiDomizio 30 minutes into the game to give Babson a 1-0 lead.
Amherst evened the score near the end of the game when forward Franklin Perry '04 knocked in a crossing pass, putting the teams into two overtimes. Perry was dominant with head balls, opening up opportunities for his teammates.
The relatively young team is still experimentally switching the positions of players, and Pat Garvey '03 played aggressively in midfield, instead of in his usual position as a forward.
Both sides were strong in net-goalie Bill Orum '02 had an excellent game with five saves, while Babson goalkeeper Tom Malloy collected seven saves.
Going into the game Babson's record was 5-1. "We should have won the game though," said Perry. "We didn't play up to our full potential."
Perry noted that the team still needs to work on finishing its shots. "Offensively, we struggled to find a rhythm, so our defense was key to the game in preventing the other team from scoring," he said.
Amherst had 20 shots in the game, whereas Babson had 14. The Jeffs also had 12 corner kicks, while Babson had 11.
Amherst's second game of the week was against Connecticut College on Saturday, Sept. 23 at Hitchcock Field.
The Jeffs had their third shutout with a final score of 2-0. This win set their record at 3-1-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
This was an important game to the team because Connecticut is a NESCAC rival.
Both goals were scored in the second half of the game, when the Amherst offense really came alive.
The first point was came from freshman Jeff Cantwell, who centered the ball to striker Dave Michener '02. Michener hit a shot that ricocheted off the post past Camel goalie Sean LaBrie and into the goal.
The second goal was made 87 minutes into the game when LaBrie mistakenly set up a shot for Perry, who knocked it in.
The Amherst defense was solid, not allowing a single goal.
"It was a good team effort," said Chris Kane '03. "We kept the ball up a lot more." Orum had three saves, while LaBrie had six.
Overall, Amherst had 19 shots, while Connecticut had nine.
While the team achieved the desired victory, the men need to work on remaining focused throughout the game, noted Ryan Goodband '02. "We need to improve on our intensity from start to finish," Goodband said.
With this game, Amherst stretches its winning streak against Connecticut to six games.
The Jeffs' next game will be against NESCAC opponent Tufts University on Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 4:00 p.m.