After many attempts to score by both sides, the Jeffs finally broke the drought in the second half with the only goal of the game.
Although they won, Amherst Tri-captain Adrian Talbott '02 was not completely satisfied with their performance. "We were beaten to the ball by a team that wasn't as talented as we are," he said. "But this is what first games are about. Hopefully we'll learn from our weak spots." Talbott, who has been sidelined after tearing his achilles tendon four weeks ago, will be back in action in two weeks.
Early on in the game, forward Franklin Perry '04 butted heads with Bates defender Jeff Critchlow in front of Bates's goal. Both players were able to walk off the field without any severe damage and were able to return in the second half. Critchlow had to receive stitches on the back of his head but returned to action later.
Defensively, senior Tri-captain Ryan Goodband and Brad Coffey '04 held the Bobcats back and restricted them to only four shots. Coffey was also able to use his long-range throw-ins to help the offense.
On the offensive front, Amherst made many scoring attempts but didn't always seem to be able to put the ball into the net. Besides Talbott, forward Dave Michener '02 was also sidelined but is due back on Wednesday. Midfielder Piercarlo Valdesolo '03 almost scored 25 minutes into the game with a shot that was aimed towards the top of the goal, but was blocked by the Bates goalkeeper. Forward Tim Canon '04 almost converted a throw-in from Coffey into a goal but missed the net to the left. Andrew Syfu '05 also helped the offense with constant passes sent into the opponent's zone.
Goalie Bill Orum '02 recorded one save in his first shutout of the season. Roger Boulay '03 also helped the defense and "played with a consistency that no one else on the team played with," said Talbott.
Bates threatened right before halftime when midfielder Nick MacInnis '03 shot a corner kick to his teammates, but was turned away by a header from Canon.
In the second half, midfielder Chris Kane '03 barely missed scoring when he tried to head in a goal off a pass from forward Jeff Cantwell '04. The winning goal came 61 minutes into the game, when Canon passed the ball to Perry, who trapped it with his chest and turned it into a right-footed shot over Spector. The Jeffs had a total of 12 shots on goal.
Before the game started, there was a moment of silence during which both schools' field hockey and men's and women's soccer teams gathered on the field in remembrance of the devastating events that occurred on Sept. 11. The Jeffs had two days off as the result of the events. A game against Wheaton College was postponed last Wednesday, and has been rescheduled the Sunday after the Williams College game on Oct. 14.
With this second straight win, Amherst improved to 2-0. Amherst will play next at home this Wednesday against Babson College.