Against Babson on Wednesday, the Jeffs had several scoring opportunities, outshooting the Beavers 22-13, but they had trouble putting the ball in the net. The teams played a fairly even first half with no definitive advantage for either side.
At the start of the second half, the Jeffs gained control of the midfield, providing several possible scoring chances for the team and forcing some great saves by Beaver goalie Tom Malloy. Toward the end of the half Babson picked up their play forcing equally impressive saves by Amherst goalie Greg Lockwood '06.
"We had a couple of key injuries that hurt us on the field, but we still managed to outshoot Babson 22-13, even though we had trouble capitalizing," said Mike York '04.
The two overtimes were punctuated once again by outstanding goalkeeping. Forward Dave Michner '03 nearly ended the contest with four minutes left in the first overtime, as he rocketed a shot that was turned away on a spectacular save by Milloy. Both teams had a few last chance shots on goal, but neither could put it in the back of the net to win.
Captain Carlo Valdesolo '03 was impressed with the Jeffs' play. "We played some of our best soccer of the season against Babson," said Valdesolo. "We strung passes together throughout the field and created a lot of opportunities. The ball just didn't bounce our way in the goal mouth."
Against Bowdoin, the Jeffs' slow start allowed Polar Bear Andrew Russo to score only seven minutes into the game. Before the Jeffs could sort out their defense, Russo scored another quick goal off a rebound on a nice save by Lockwood, giving Bowdoin a two-goal lead.
"The Bowdoin game was possibly the most uninspired first half of soccer I've been a part of since coming to Amherst," said Valdesolo.
Although Amherst picked up their play and controlled the field in the second half, they still had difficulty picking apart the Bowdoin defense. Their lone goal came on a long shot by defender Roger Boulay '03 with 15 minutes left in the game, leaving the final score as 2-1.
"We started very lethargic in the Bowdoin game, and they scored two quick goals against us due to poor marking. Although we tightened up on defense in the second half and were able to put one in, the adjustment came too little, too late," said midfielder Tim Canon '04. "We're looking forward to getting healthy these next couple of games and realizing our full potential."
The Jeffs return to action against non-league foe Springfield College on Wednesday.