Saturday's contest against the visiting Wesleyan Cardinals took place on the turf at UMass's Garber Field; the Jeffs' home Hitchcock Field was still soggy from a week of showers.
The Jeffs must have felt right at home, however, as a sizable contingent of Amherst's faithful made the trip across town to fill the stands and sidelines. Mike Allison '04 was impressed by the intensity of the fans, a few of whom painted their entire bodies purple and came armed with signs and chants. "We were thrilled by the large turnout for both the Wesleyan and Middlebury games," said Allison.
Amherst and Wesleyan went back and forth during the entire game, trading goals and staying within striking distance of each other. After the first quarter the game was tied at two, and it was 6-6 at the half. Wesleyan struck for three more goals in the third quarter to grab a one-goal lead, but Amherst came fighting back.
Midfielder Andrew Syfu '05 got Amherst even with a pretty goal, deking defenders at the top of the box before ripping a shot past the Wesleyan goaltender. Attacker Alex Casertano '05 gave Amherst the lead moments later with a rocket of his own. A wide-open Casertano received a cross-field pass near the Cardinal net where he had time for a full windup and proceeded to bury the shot. Shortly thereafter, attacker Allison almost sealed the deal with a goal of his own, but his sharp-angle shot deflected off the post.
Just inches from probable defeat, the Cardinals struck back to tie the game at ten on a goal from Glen Adams. The game went to overtime, and about halfway through the extra session, Adams sent the fans to the exits by netting the game winner. The final score was 11-10. Adams was later named NESCAC Co-Player of the Week in part due to his heroics against Amherst.
Casertano led the Jeffs with four points, and both Allison and midfielder Joaquin Walker '05 scored two goals in the defeat.
"Saturday was not a great day for us," said Head Coach Tom Carmean. "We got away from our game plan and played at Wesleyan's frantic pace."
The head coach also noted a lack of focus in the match against Wesleyan. "It was a game we thought we were going to walk in and win," he said.
Amherst played a much more focused game on Sunday against Middlebury, but was ultimately done in by a brief lapse at the start. The visiting Panthers jumped out to a three-goal advantage before the Jeffs could settle down. The Jeffs answered back quickly and powerfully in the second period, though, tallying four times to take the lead 4-3 lead to halftime.
But the Jeffs must wish that there had been no halftime because the break proved beneficial to the Panthers. The visitors struck four times in the third quarter and again in the fourth to take a commanding 8-4 lead. Amherst answered back with two tallies in the closing frame, but it was too little too late. Middlebury won the game 8-6.
Allison netted two goals and added an assist, and Walker once again played well, this time registering two points.
Despite the loss, Carmean was happy with his team's effort and preparation. "Sunday was a game where, despite laying down for three quick goals, we played the game I imagined we could play with them," said Carmean. "We were mentally ready and prepared after the first few minutes, and we gained a lot of confidence," he continued.
Tri-captain attacker Chris Condlin '03, the team's leading goal scorer, was held to just one goal over the weekend. It seems that after scoring 23 goals, Condlin has become a target of opposing defenses. "After half a season, I think people are acknowledging that they have to play stricter attention to Chris on the crease," said Carmean. "It's now the job of our staff to figure out how to free him up."
Now Amherst, 6-3 overall, will host three conference opponents this week to close out their home schedule. Tufts University plays here today, Bowdoin College will visit on Saturday and Connecticut College comes calling on Tuesday. Then the only game left on the schedule will be the April 26 affair at Williams College.