Midfielder Chris Kane '03 scored the first and only Amherst goal of the game, which came 21 minutes into the game. When the Ephs tried to clear a corner kick from Amherst, Kane took possession of the ball from approximately 25 yards out. He blasted it into the top right-hand corner of the goal.
"It was a nasty goal," said Tri-captain Casey Ryan '02. Williams retaliated a few minutes into the second half as Ted Giannacopoulos pulled the ball out of a scramble in front of the box and passed it on to fellow teammate Alex Blake. Blake, avoiding the hands of Amherst goalie Bill Orum '02, tapped it in to even the score. He then put the Ephs in the lead for good when he received a pass from teammate Josef Powell and scorched a shot into the lower right-hand corner of the goal. This would be the final score of the game.
Although they did let two balls in, Amherst played a solid game against this top-ranked team. "Andrew Syfu ['05] kept the whole team kind of solidified," said Ryan. "The whole defense played a good game."
Earlier last week, Amherst defeated Western New England College (WNEC) 3-2. Vivian Johnson '04 made two of the goals. The first was scored 14 minutes into the game when forward Franklin Perry '04 fed a pass to Johnson, who knocked it in. Johnson scored again halfway through the first half, when he trapped a pass from midfielder Carlo Valdesolo '03 and blasted a right-footed shot past Golden Bears goalie Jay Martyn. "Vivian played really well. It was the first game where he started to play to his full potential," said Ryan. "It was nice to see."
WNEC struck back a couple minutes later when Jose Molina took advantage of a free kick off of Craig Carroll and headed it in over Orum. Amherst was still leading 2-1 until the 69th minute, when Johnson took a corner kick. Tri-captain Adrian Talbott '02 deflected it to Jeff Cantwell '04, who shot the eventual game-winner into the top right corner of the net.
With less than a minute left in the game, WNEC tried one last time to retaliate and came up with one goal. But this last-minute attempt was not enough, and the Jeffs won the game 3-2. This was the Jeffs' first game playing without all three injured starters: Tri-captain Ryan Goodband '02, Dave Michener '02 and Brad Coffey '04. "It was a good test before Williams," said Ryan.
On Oct. 6 the Jeffs battled it out against NESCAC rival Middlebury College. The two teams went into double overtime and eventually had to settle for a 1-1 draw.
After a scoreless first half, in the 62nd minute, midfielder A.J. Korytoski '04 put the Jeffs into the lead. Perry began pressuring the Panthers in the right-hand corner of their defense. The ball popped out to Korytoski at the top of the box. He trapped it and took a left-footed shot into the upper right-hand corner of the goal. Only 11 minutes later, Middlebury player Pat Saunders received a deflected pass and shot the ball into the left-hand corner of the goal, just past Orum's diving fingertips.
Although there were numerous scoring chances throughout the game on both sides, none made it through, even in both overtimes. Tim Canon '04 had a breakaway near the end of the second half but barely missed the net. "We definitely outshot them in the second half," said Korytoski. "In overtime, we couldn't finish."
In addition to finishing in a deadlock, the Jeffs suffered three new injuries in this game. Coffey was playing with a taped knee after a knee injury during practice. After the game, he had x-rays taken and found out that he tore his ACL and MCL. He is scheduled to have surgery next week and is out for the season. Michener, who came back from an ankle injury, broke his left tibia. He is also gone for the season.
Fortunately, sophomore Mike York's injury wasn't as serious as his teammates'. He bumped heads while attempting to head a ball and left the game to receive 12 stitches in his forehead, but came back to play in the second half. The Jeffs know they will have to step up their play due to the loss of these players, plus Goodband's injury from a previous game. "It's especially difficult if one is a captain and the other is a senior," said Ryan.
Fortunately, the team is ready for action. Syfu has been filling in for Goodband as a back. "He's a tenacious defender," said Korytoski. "He did well after Ryan's injury, stepping up to his defensive role."
On Monday, the Jeffs hosted ninth-ranked Wheaton College, losing to the Crusaders 3-2 in overtime. A goal from Wheaton player Matt Mancini in the 94th minute rebutted the two goals scored earlier in the game by Ryan and Korytoski. The Crusaders moved to a shining 13-1 with the win
Tomorrow, the squad will play at Keene State College, before heading home for a Saturday homecoming showdown with Wesleyan University.