Amherst drew blood early in the match, scoring a quick pair of tries to open the scoring. The first came from Brett Lentz '01, and the remaining seven points came under the arm of Williams. "We had a strong first half," said Williams. "We played well overall, but the score shouldn't have been that close."
The second half saw a markedly different style of play from the Jeffs. Several rookie players were given the opportunity to compete. James Orraca-Tetteh '02 explained, "Whenever you put rookies into the game, you have to understand the fact that, for most of them, this is their first experience playing rugby." Brandon Woods '02 added, "We tried to give our new guys a chance to play. And they did a good job for their first time out."
Although the experience was necessary and valuable, it led to a Jeff deficit of two points with the final seconds ticking off the clock. However, Lentz pulled through for the Amherst team yet again. After the Jeffs reclaimed the ball with seven seconds to play, Lentz attempted a kick, only to have it blocked by the UMass-Lowell fullback. But, the ball dribbled into the try zone, and Lentz snagged the ball behind the line to notch the winning try for Amherst.
"We have a lot to learn," said Orraca-Tetteh. "But, it's good to know that we can definitely compete. That gives us the confidence we need. We played a good match, and we have a lot to look forward to."
This weekend, the Jeffs will travel south to Washington, D.C. to participate in the two-day Cherry Blossom Tournament.