On Oct. 10, Amherst took on a struggling Connecticut College team in a must-win for the Jeffs. After the first 30 minutes of play, midfielder Ian Lovett '06 took a feed from forward Franklin Perry '04 and launched it into the back of the net to put the Jeffs on the board first. Only a few minutes later, defender Mike York '04 threw the ball into Lovett, who chipped the ball in to the box for Joe Gannon '06, who tapped it in for the goal.
The Camels retaliated with only 32 seconds left in the half, when Joe Randell struck the ball in the top corner of the Jeff net. Then, only one minute into the second stanza, the Camels caught the Jeffs off-guard once again when Camel midfielder Tim Walker took a cross and knocked a header past Amherst goalkeeper Greg Lockwood '05 to knot the score at two.
"Conn played tough, despite their record, and we were put back on our heels a little bit after they scored," said defender Tim Canon '04. "However, we were able to come back and win, and it helped us as a team to be able to stick in tight games and keep our composure."
The Jeffs would finally take the lead for good towards the end of the second half when Gannon took a nice feed from midfielder Dave Michener '03 and rocketed a shot into the left corner to give the Jeffs the 3-2 victory.
Two days later, the Jeffs would host another NESCAC foe, Colby College. Colby almost took an early lead only a few minutes into the contest, but the Jeffs were saved by a leaping header by senior midfielder Pat Garvey which sent the threatening Colby volley wide of the Amherst goal. The score remained even for most of the half as the teams struggled with soaking field conditions, but junior midfielder Josh Holt scored a goal just before intermission to give the Jeffs a 1-0 lead. Midfielder Jeff Cantwell '04 added a goal early in the second stanza to make the score 2-0. Colby then cut the lead late in the half but Jeff midfielder Chris Kane '03 took a feed from Gannon to tack on an insurance goal five minutes later to end the game at 3-1.
"It was a big win for us to get under the circumstances, since rain neutralizes the [teams] and either team can win in that situation," said York.
Gannon was named NESCAC Player of the Week for his two goals and two assists in NESCAC play. He leads Amherst and is among the top NESCAC players in points with 16.
In a blowout in Springfield the following Tuesday, the Jeffs scored six goals to blank Western New England College. The Jeffs dominated play throughout the game, as Cantwell opened up the scoring with a pair of goals, while Gannon added two goals and two assists. Joaquin Walker '05 and Lovett also chipped in tallies to help Amherst secure the 6-0 victory.
Finally, in NESCAC action again on Saturday, the Jeffs faced highly skilled Little III rival Wesleyan University in another critical game. Amherst played tough on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. The Jeffs got on board 30 minutes into the contest when Cantwell notched a goal to give the visitors a 1-0 lead at the break. Although Wesleyan pressured hard in the second half, the Jeffs held strong defensively and Gannon was able to add his team-leading ninth goal to give the Jeffs the 2-0 victory.
The Jeffs now have a week to prepare for their biggest game of the season against Williams College on Saturday.