"The coaching was great over break," said Gene Nogi '02. "Coach [Tom] Carmean and Coach [Milton] Gooding did a great job."
Whittier jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Jeffs never gave up. J.P. Bruneau '01 posted solid numbers for the Jeffs, scoring the first goal while the team was three men down. Bruneau picked up the ball in traffic and put it past the Whittier goalie for the score. Mike Allison '04 tossed in a goal, while Matt Margolis '03 and Nogi each added another two clutch goals. Chris Condlin '03 put in the game-winner with two and a half minutes remaining in the game.
The Jeffs were behind 5-2 at halftime and 6-2 at the end of the third quarter. The offense picked it up in the fourth quarter for the win, despite the slow start. Players began connecting on passes, and the ball finally found the back of the net with consistency. All the offensive set work as well as the continual stick work at practice enabled the Jeffs to maintain their focus and fight their way back into the game, finally pulling out the win.
Offensively, Co-captain Eric Edelson '01 added an assist to his tally. Allison notched a crucial goal in his first career game as a Jeff. Nogi was a dominant force in the midfield. He not only tossed in two goals, but he also came back with key defensive plays. Defensively, Alexei Kudla '04 had "an outstanding game marking Whittier's key offensive player," said Nogi. Goalie and Co-captain Corey Simonson '01 "played unbelievably well," said Kudla. Simonson had nine saves.
Following the Whittier win, the squad traveled back east intent on playing in the Terrence O'Connor Tournament at Alfred University. However, due to inclement weather, the outing was canceled. The Jeffs are slated to continue their road trip before settling back at Amherst. Tomorrow, the Jeffs are scheduled to travel to Wheaton College, before a northern swing takes them to Bates College for the weekend, where they will play Colby College prior to facing off against the Bobcats. Finally, the Jeffs will head to WNEC on Tuesday before hosting Middlebury College in the home opener.