Amherst entered Saturday's showdown with Little Three archrival Williams coming off a pair of disappointing losses to Wesleyan University and Bates College. Both Amherst and Williams entered their season finales vying for a higher seed in the postseason tournament. The Ephs came out firing early, needing only six minutes to find the net. After junior goalkeeper Greg Lockwood extended for a diving save, Williams sophomore midfielder Thomas Day slid in and knocked the ball into the corner of the empty net to start the scoring. The Ephs held their one-goal advantage for the remainder of the first half, keeping the pressure on the Jeffs' defense.
The second half remained a deadlock until Eph Joshua Bolton found Matthew Nolan alone in the box. Nolan blasted a shot past Lockwood for the insurance goal. The Jeffs could not manage to find the net in the final 10 minutes of play, falling by a score of 2-0. The loss was Amherst's third consecutive loss, bringing their final regular season record to 10-4 overall and 5-4 in the NESCAC.
The losses dropped the Jeffs to the sixth seed in the NESCAC Tournament. The victory earned Williams the NESCAC regular season title as well as the Little Three Championship while securing them the top seed in the conference tournament.
On Sunday, Amherst traveled to Brunswick, Maine, to take on third-seeded Bowdoin in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament. Amherst came out strong in the early minutes of the game as it has done all season long, applying a great deal of offensive pressure. The Lord Jeffs nearly scored just 15 minutes into play when forward Mike Wohl '07 found a loose ball in the box. His shot sailed wide of the post and the game remained a stalemate for the rest of the first frame.
The scoreless tie was broken early in the second half when Polar Bear Andrew Russo found Simon Parsons, who beat the Amherst defense and notched the go-ahead goal. The lone goal was enough for Bowdoin, as Amherst could not manage to put a shot past goalkeeper Nathan Lovitz in the remaining time.
"We actually played some of our best soccer of the year during the games against Williams and Bowdoin and controlled the play for much of both games, but we were in the midst of a dry spell in terms of scoring goals, unfortunately," said junior midfielder Jay Kloppenberg of the team's inability to capitalize on the scoring opportunities. The loss signaled the end of Amherst's season, while Bowdoin advances to the tournament semifinals to take on second-seeded Middlebury College on Saturday.
"We came to play for both games but couldn't get it done. I missed key scoring opportunities, which tears me apart especially for the seniors. We are too good to not be playing next weekend," said Wohl. Wohl also commended the outstanding efforts of the team's defense. "The MVPs of the weekend were [co-captain] Andrew Syfu ['05], John Kneeland ['08], Ian Lovett ['06] and Christian Alexander ['06]."
It was a season of streaks for Amherst, as the Jeffs opened the season red-hot with a seven-game win streak. After recording their first loss at Middlebury, the Jeffs then rebounded for a trio of wins before their final skid. Amherst dropped its final four contests of the year, falling short of an NCAA tournament bid with a record of 10-5.
"It was disappointing that the season ended the way it did," said Kloppenberg. "We played well and played hard all season. Most teams go through a rough stretch at some point in the year; it was just unfortunate for us that it occurred at the worst possible time, over the last week of the season."
His teammates concurred. "Obviously, this has been one of the most frustrating seasons that any of us have been a part of, as we truly believed that we were one of the most talented teams in the league and fully capable of bringing home a NESCAC championship," said junior defender Jeremy Kelley. "This weekend, particularly on Sunday, I feel as if we outplayed both of our opponents but simply couldn't get the results we were looking for. More often then not, especially in the NESCAC, that's the twisted nature of the sport."
Amherst is looking to move on past the disappointing finish and will anxiously await the chance to avenge its losses next season. The team returns a promising cast of players, though the Jeffs will have some key losses, including senior co-captains Syfu and Matt Langione.
"Our fans, players, coaches and school should look forward to a team that is determined to get back to the NCAAs and avenge consecutive disappointing endings," said Wohl. "We return 10 of 11 starters but lose an irreplaceable 5'7'' defender in Syfu, and two great leaders."
Wohl, Lockwood and junior Joe Gannon will lead the Jeffs into the 2005 season. Wohl and Gannon should provide potent offensive firepower, as they led the Jeffs in points this season with 23 and 18 respectively. Despite losing Syfu, the defense should remain strong as Lovett and Kneeland return. Lockwood, the Jeffs' outstanding goalkeeper, comes off of a great season in which he posted three shutouts and a 0.91 goals-against average.