The Lord Jeffs started out strong with a shutout victory over the Trinity College Bantams on opening day. This victory was directly proceeded by a well-earned win over Roger Williams University. Although the Jeffs had some difficulty capitalizing on scoring opportunities, solid resistance in their defensive third and dynamic play by the midfield generated the momentum they needed to score and allowed the Jeffs to emerge from opening weekend with a promising, undefeated record. Despite the devastating loss of senior co-captain Ian Lovett to injury, impressive performances by underclassmen, sound protection by the defense, reliable goalkeeping by senior Greg Lockwood as well as poised leadership by senior co-captain midfielder Ben Lavely suggested that the Jeffs would be moving toward a long and triumphant season.
The Amherst men approached the next week's set of competitions seeking to maintain their winning streak and to defend their undefeated record. Unfortunately, the Jeffs were again unable to complete countless offensive drives, and ultimately came away from their match against the Bates College Bobcats with a 1-1 tie. Teammates dolefully reflected that the tie was not due to an evenly matched competition but to the fact that Amherst did play to its potential. Hoping to redeem themselves against MIT, the Amherst men took the field just two days later with immediate force. Amherst achieved an early 2-0 lead, but despite Amherst's clear control of play, MIT was able to find a gap in the defense and then the back of the net at the end of the first half. While it was clear from the initial minutes of play that Amherst was the higher-caliber team, the Jeffs lost their original composure and command as the game progressed but ultimately walked away with a 2-1 victory.
As a spectator of low-scoring sports such as soccer, it is important to bear in mind that final game scores often do not reflect the true abilities of two teams in isolation or in relation to one another. This truth was certainly not evident in the final results of the next weekend's set of men's soccer competitions, from which the Jeffs emerged with a 2-0 loss to Tufts University and a 0-0 tie with Salve Regina University. Unfortunately, Amherst's victory over MIT failed to give the men the momentum that they would need to carry them through the weekend. According to Lockwood, the Jumbos came into the first half "on fire, showing true passion and effort that we didn't match until it was too late." Amherst took the field against Salve Regina on Sunday as a completely different team. It was clear from the first minutes of play that Amherst was the superior competitor, but an outstanding performance by Salve junior Davin Sirpenski and Amherst's inability to exploit scoring opportunities forced both teams into overtime. The game concluded with a scoreless tie that did not do justice to the exceptional performance given by the Jeffs.
Having achieved a midweek 2-1 victory over Springfield College, the next weekend brought a much more formidable opponent to Hitchcock field: NESCAC adversary Bowdoin College. Determined and closely matched play resulted in regulation time closing with a 2-2 tie that sent the two teams into overtime. With the game on the line, both teams fought to gain and maintain offensive possession. Unfortunately, it was Bowdoin who received the final scoring opportunity and sealed the game for a 3-2 win over Amherst.
Refusing to let this loss get the best of them, the Jeffs earned a decisive 4-1 victory over Connecticut College just days after their loss to Bowdoin. The Amherst men then returned after Fall Break to face non-conference rival Western New England College (WNEC). While the Jeffs intended to build on their victory over the Conn. Camels, the WNEC Golden Bears had other plans for the afternoon match. Play was evenly matched, tracking back and forth across both halves with consistent offensive challenges coming from both sides, but it was ultimately WNEC that walked away with the 1-0 win. This unexpected and upsetting defeat, however, was just the fuel the Amherst men needed for their upcoming weekend match against conference competitors from Colby College. Although the game itself was "extremely bizarre," according to Lavely, due to events surrounding poor weather and field conditions, in the end the Amherst men were able to dig themselves out of the mud and to return home with a well-deserved 4-3 win.
"From my perspective, this team has the most talent of any team I've been a part of during my four years at Amherst, including the team that made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament and beat Williams," said senior defender Jeremy Kelley. "[We] are underachieving significantly ... our record is not indicative of our ability." After a month of conference competitions marked by inconsistent and unrepresentative final results, the Jeffs have begun to show a flicker of triumphant consistency. Emerging victorious from their most recent set of conference competitions, the Jeffs have at last instilled in their loyal but anxious fans a glimmer of hope that a promised and long-awaited turnaround has finally come and that the Jeffs' current in-conference winning streak will continue to build. Saturday's 11 a.m. Homecoming match against the Wesleyan University Cardinals (6-2-2, 3-2-1 NESCAC) will thus be a crucial game for the Jeffs as they approach their final conference games before the NESCAC Tournament.