Amherst kicked off the season in dramatic fashion with a 3-2 overtime victory at Trinity College on Sept. 11. Sophomore Mike Wohl wasted no time in starting his terrific season, needing only four minutes to find the net. After a pair of Trinity goals, however, it looked as if the Bantams were going to walk away with the victory.
Nobody told Wohl, who struck again with just under six minutes to play off a Rob Madden '05 assist to send the game into overtime. After a scoreless first overtime, midfielder Madden needed only 10 seconds in the second overtime to score the game winner off a pass from junior Joe Gannon. "We played clutch when we needed to and it was special," said junior goalkeeper Greg Lockwood of his team's gutsy performance.
Amherst carried the momentum from its marathon win into a pair of blowout wins over Roger Williams University and Rivier College that same week. After defeating visiting Roger Williams by a count of 3-0, the Jeffs then pummeled Rivier, 6-1.
On Sept. 25, the Jeffs returned to conference action, hosting Tufts University. Madden opened the scoring for Amherst off a pass from Gannon, and then sent an assist of his own to Wohl for the insurance goal. They notched another shutout victory the next day, beating non-league foe Salve Regina University 1-0 on Wohl's sixth goal of the season.
With plenty of non-conference action under their belts, the Jeffs then traveled to Brunswick, Maine on Oct. 2 for a NESCAC showdown with Bowdoin College. Bowdoin entered the game ranked 12th in the country, but were stifled by Amherst's stellar defense as the Jeffs escaped with a 1-0 win. This time it was Wohl feeding Gannon for the lone score. Gannon earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors for his brilliant play in the Bowdoin match and a two-assist performance in a victory over Springfield College earlier in the week.
The Lord Jeffs finally lost on Oct. 9, dropping a tough 3-2 overtime loss to Middlebury College after letting a two-goal lead slip away. Amherst bounced back immediately, however with a 3-1 victory over Western New England College on Oct. 12. The Jeffs got the job done with some new faces in the scoring column, as juniors Ian Lovett and Christian Alexander each scored their first goals of the year. Senior co-captain defender Andrew Syfu and first-year Taylor Downs added assists for the Jeffs, while Gannon added a tally in both columns.
"The mark of this team throughout the season was the spirited and unremitting contribution of each and every member," said senior co-captain Matt Langione of the all-around contributions made by his teammates. "Not a single player went the season without playing in a game."
After shutting out conference opponents Colby and Connecticut Colleges, things were looking good for Amherst as the Jeffs sat atop the NESCAC standings with a 10-1 overall record. However, the relentless offense would finally yield as the Jeffs were blanked in their final three regular-season contests. After a 1-0 loss to Wesleyan University on Oct. 23, Amherst dropped a pair of 2-0 decisions to Bates and Williams Colleges.
The 10-4 regular-season record earned Amherst the sixth seed in the NESCAC tournament. Their title hopes were short lived though, as the Lord Jeffs were again shutout, this time by the third seeded Bowdoin Polar Bears in the first round.
"As a senior, I was disappointed that the season had to end like it did. But I'm still proud of our guys for what we've accomplished as a team," said Syfu.
Though the team loses Syfu and senior co-captain Matt Langione, next season promises to be a good one for Amherst. The Lord Jeffs return an impressive squad, including the league leaders in goals, Wohl, and assists, Gannon. "It will take a while to shake this season off knowing how talented this team truly is," said Ben Lavely '06. "Once the bitterness of the season is gone though, we look ahead to a 2005 team that returns 10 of 11 starters and an impressive supporting cast."