Amherst got on the board early against Bates. In the 15th minute of play, forward Mike Wohl '07 found fellow attacker Joe Gannon '06 in the Bobcats' zone. Gannon promptly lodged the ball in the back of the net for his third goal of the young season. The assist was the first of Wohl's young career. The rookie has also scored one goal.
Scoring early has become a trademark of the Jeffs. Amherst has netted the first goal in each of its four games this season.
Scoring often has also become something of a habit for Amherst, and Saturday's game at Bates was no exception. Early in the second half, a Bobcat defender took down an Amherst attacker in the penalty area-one of 11 Bates fouls on the day-to earn the Jeffs a penalty kick. Father-and-son head coaching tandem Peter and Milton Gooding selected quad-captain defender Mike York '04 to take the shot. York did not falter, depositing the ball in the back of the net for the back's first career goal. York, whose responsibility is keeping the ball away from his own goal (not firing it into the other team's), also has one career assist to his credit.
Bates answered back quickly with a goal of its own just two minutes later, but the hosts could muster little more against Amherst keeper Dan Glenn '05. Glenn, making his first start of the year, stymied the Bobcats down the stretch to earn his first victory. He recorded six saves overall in the 2-1 win. With this loss, Bates drops to 0-3 in conference and claims sole possession of last place.
Milton Gooding was pleased with the play of his team. "I thought we played very well; we played great attacking soccer and moved with ball very well," he said. "We were a little loose defensively-we still have a ways to go defensively-but Dan gave us a tremendous effort in goal."
The victory improved the Lord Jeffs' conference record to 2-0. While five NESCAC squads still remain undefeated, only Middlebury and Amherst can claim a share of first place, each with a 2-0 mark. However, the first big conference test for the Lord Jeffs will come this weekend when they host the highly-touted Polar Bears of Bowdoin College.
Bowdoin amassed a 7-1-1 NESCAC record last year, earning the top spot in the conference playoffs and the right to host the NESCAC Tournament. However, Amherst spoiled things for the hosts by defeating Bowdoin 2-1 in the semifinal round, bringing the Polar Bears' season to a sudden and disappointing end. Bowdoin, which played Williams College to a 3-3 tie this past weekend in Brunswick, will undoubtedly be looking to avenge last year's playoff defeat when they come to Hitchcock Field this Saturday morning. The game begins at 11.
The week was not all glory, however. Last Wednesday, Amherst suffered its first defeat of the season at the hands of the Wheaton College Lyons. Amherst entered the contest ranked 10th in the nation, while Wheaton came in holding the 15th spot. But the numbers didn't mean much.
Things began well enough for the Jeffs, as they tallied the game's first goal in the 28th minute. Gannon scored this one off an assist from midfielder Christian Alexander '06. But soon after, the Lyons got to Jeff goaltender Greg Lockwood '06, who made his third consecutive start in net.
Ariel Tatum found the back of the net in the 36th minute, tying the game at one and ending the Jeff goalies' season-opening scoreless streak at 215 minutes. The Lyons then got the game-winning goal in the 78th minute from George Thomas off of a corner kick. The corner was one of nine on the day for Wheaton. The deficit proved too much for Amherst to overcome in just 12 minutes, and the Jeffs were forced to taste defeat for the first time this season.
Amherst had its chances, but just could not capitalize on them. The Jeffs bombarded Lyon goalie Matt Pachniuk with ten shots on goal, but could only sneak one past the opposing netminder. The Jeffs also had seven corner kicks.
Amherst continues its non-conference Wednesday kick with a game today against Babson College. They'll start play at Hitchcock Field at 4:30 p.m. Then, the Jeffs' thoughts will turn to the Polar Bears, who come calling Saturday morning.
"Bowdoin is one of the strongest opponents on our schedule, and it will be an evenly played match," said Gooding. "The team that will come out on top will be the team that takes care of its chances."