The Lord Jeffs (5-1 overall, 3-0 NESCAC) travel to Vermont this Saturday to take on the second-ranked Panthers (6-0 overall, 3-0 NESCAC) in what will undoubtedly be their toughest challenge of the young season.
Colby paid a visit to Amherst this past weekend in what was supposed to be the Jeffs' first true home game of the season. Unfortunately, mother nature had other plans, inundating Hitchcock Field with rain for much of the week and forcing Amherst to move the game to the turf at Garber Field at nearby UMass.
The change of scenery did not affect the Jeffs' play, however, as they pounced on their unsuspecting visitors early in front of the wind-whipped Garber crowd. Amherst overwhelmed Colby with 23 shots in the first half, five of which found the back of the White Mule net. Amherst went into halftime up 5-2 and didn't let Colby back into the game. The Jeffs added another five strikes after the break and surrendered just two more en route to a 10-4 victory.
The Jeffs won eight of nine faceoffs during the second half, helping keep the ball off the Mules' sticks and away from the Jeffs' goal. Rookie attackman Chris Hofmann was largely responsible for Amherst's ball control, winning seven of his 10 faceoffs. Co-captain attackman Mike Allison '04 won three of the four draws he took as well.
Midfielder Joaquin Walker '05 led Amherst attackers with two goals and an assist. Hofmann also had a pair of goals, as did attackman Alex Casertano '05. Co-captain defender Alexei Kudla '04 made the scoring sheet as well, leading a rush up the field from his own end before converting on a rebound of his own shot.
Amherst goaltender Cushing Donelan '05 played all but the closing minutes, making 11 saves and allowing just three Mule shots past him. Backup netminder Raul Altreche '06 saw action as well, allowing one goal in just over two minutes of play.
Donelan, who also recorded nine saves against Bates on Wednesday, was named the NESCAC Player of the Week for his fine play. Donelan credited his coaching staff and his defenders for helping him keep the ball out of the net: "We did a good job defensively against [Colby's] offense, thanks to our coaches' scouting reports," he said. "Also, I have been fortunate enough to have great long poles and defensive middies playing hard in front of me. Alexei Kudla, Greg Donohue ['05], Greg Emmanuelidis ['05], Andrew Wilcox ['06], Ben Lavely ['06] and Rob Madden ['07] have all been fantastic. They are giving me the shots I am good at saving."
Amherst kicked off conference play on March 27 with a 13-7 victory over Trinity. The Jeffs were led by attacker Derek Cherney '07, who lit up the Bantams for four goals and a pair of assists. Just four days later on March 31, Cherney had another monster game, connecting on five shots and adding an assist to lead Amherst to a tight 7-6 win over Bates. With 16 goals and five assists so far, the rookie leads all Jeff scorers with 21 points.
Cherney attributes his fast start to the people around him. "I feel very fortunate that the coaching staff has given me the opportunity to play an integral role in my first year," said Cherney. "It's also very easy to succeed with the great talent that we have on the offensive side of the ball. The guys have done a great job of finding me when I am open, which has made it much easier for me to capitalize on my scoring chances thus far."
Now riding a three-game winning streak, Amherst faces a pair of road games this week. On Thursday afternoon the Jeffs visit Endicott College before taking on Middlebury at 2:00 p.m on Saturday. With a team like Middlebury looming in the not-so distant future, Amherst must take care not to look past its non-conference game against Endicott during the middle of the week.
Middlebury ended Amherst's season last year with a 14-8 victory over the Jeffs in the semifinal round of the conference tournament. Middlebury went on to win the NESCAC tournament and advance all the way to the NCAA Div. III title game, where the Panthers fell 14-13 to Salisbury in overtime. They are currently ranked second in the nation.
Through three conference games, Amherst and Middlebury have posted very similar numbers. Amherst has scored 30 goals while allowing 17, while Middlebury has 33 strikes to its credit and has allowed 16. Both teams are undefeated in the conference.
In order to win on Saturday, Donelan thinks the team will have to generate more scoring opportunities out of the set offense and rely less on transition offense. "We scored most of our goals [against Colby] in transition, broken plays and athletic plays," said Donelan. "In order to have a great offense, we need to be able to adapt, shoot well, and work hard off-ball."
Cherney thinks the Jeffs need to work on their power play in particular. "Our offense is looking good, as we have the ability to dodge from both the attack and midfield position," he said. "The one thing that we do need to improve is our man-up. We have not been converting on extra-man opportunities, which will hurt us in close games."
Donelan is confident about his team's chances to avenge last year's loss in the conference semifinals. "This week we'll prepare to play them hard for a full 60 minutes," he said. "If we stay focused and capitalize on our opportunities, we'll beat them. It depends on which team comes to play, and I have no doubt it will be our team. I know our whole team is ready to send a message to them, the NESCAC and the nation."