The men's soccer team, having earned an important victory over conference competitor Colby College in their weekend match, were challenged twice this week to reassert their force in matches against NESCAC competitors Middlebury College and Wesleyan University. First, the Jeffs met the Middlebury Panthers on Hitchcock Field for an unusual midweek makeup match. Middlebury arrived at Amherst with an impressive record, good for second in the NESCAC with a conference record of 5-1-0. The Jeffs fell behind almost immediately when an Amherst defender was pushed toward an oncoming Middlebury corner kick and accidentally redirected the ball into the net after six minutes of play. Amherst players held their composure and leveled the score at the 38:34 mark when sophomore Ryan O'Donnell beat two Middlebury defenders and lofted a beautiful cross to junior Mike Wohl, who allowed the ball to bounce once before one-timing a graceful volley into the upper-left corner.

The second half brought more heated competition between the closely-matched competitors with serious challenges to goal coming from both ends. Thankfully, Wohl's nose for the goal was in full effect; the junior secured the game for the Jeffs by knocking a long pass from first-year Nick Lynch into the back of the net. Middlebury fought to equalize, but Amherst goalkeeper Greg Lockwood '06 refused to yield to Middlebury pursuits. Lockwood's determined dynamicism, however, ultimately led to his downfall when he bravely sacrificed himself to make a low save. Snatching the ball, Lockwood also met with a Middlebury cleat. This painful encounter left Lockwood on the ground, clutching the ball with one hand and nursing a serious injury to the other. First-year Jeff Grover valiantly stepped in to save the day, protecting the goal with dynamic play that maintained the 2-1 Amherst lead his predecessor had sustained. "As a senior," said defender Jeremy Kelley '06, "the win over Middlebury was a special accomplishment because they were the only team which we hadn't beaten while [I've been] at Amherst, despite the fact that we always seemed to outplay them." Amherst's resolution on Thursday allowed the Jeffs to set a new precedent for competition between these foes.

With two consecutive wins giving them momentum, Amherst faced Wesleyan University on Saturday in hopes of extending the young winning streak. The first half of the Homecoming match was an extremely physical confrontation with both teams struggling to assert dominance and retain possession. Each team hammered off only six shots in the first half, including a powerful hit by senior Adrien de Bontin that ricocheted off the crossbar to sustain the standoff.

"The MVP was," said O'Donnell, "hands down, without a doubt, Jeff Grover. He really saved us." Abruptly thrown into the spotlight, the pressure was on for the rookie keeper during this critical Homecoming match. Wesleyan tested the Amherst defense in the second half with five impressive shots that Grover rejected in spectacular fashion, showing the true composure, assertiveness and skill of a seasoned collegiate goalkeeper. Perhaps most memorable of his extraordinary plays was Grover's right-handed diving save that stopped Cardinal Chris Brown on a breakaway. While the Jeff defense worked to fight back Wesleyan's offense, Amherst's offense struggled to derail the tie. Despite pressure on the Cardinals' goal during the second half, the Jeffs were unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities and finished the day with a 0-0 double overtime deadlock.

"Regarding the Wesleyan game, I'm looking forward to settling the score with them in the first round of the NESCAC tournament," said Kelley. "I know that the playoff atmosphere will cause us to play at our highest level regardless of the opponent." On that note, Kelley explained the team's attitude as the Jeffs approach the NESCAC Tournament and post-season competition. "Our goal … is to approach every game with focused intensity and the intention of outworking whatever team we play-all we need to worry about is playing the way we're capable of playing and good things will happen," he said.

There has been an obvious change in the Jeffs' play over the past few weeks, and one can only hope that this passionate style of play will endure. The Jeffs have continued to assert that they are a force with which to be reckoned, but they will need to use their newborn momentum in order to win what will be their most trying match: the upcoming faceoff at undefeated Williams College on Saturday at 11 a.m.