Before meeting the Jeffs on Saturday, the Ephs were ranked seventh in the country with a NESCAC record of 8-0, 12-1 overall. Although the Jeffs were the decided underdogs, they refused to roll over and allow the Ephs to walk away with an easy victory. In fact, the Jeffs reversed the expectations of their audience, dominating play and holding the frustrated Ephs scoreless for the majority of the first half.
The match remained in a dead heat for the first 30 minutes, as offensive play oscillated between both defensive ends. Junior striker Mike Wohl finally broke the draw before the close of the first half, driving home a header off a perfectly placed cross from sophomore midfielder Ryan O'Donnell. The Ephs instantly retaliated with a challenge to the Jeffs' goal, drawing and converting a penalty kick to even the score at the close of the first stanza.
Amherst took the field with fire in the second half. With the exception of a handful of breakaways by Williams, the men dominated play and proved that they were the superior competitors. Unfortunately, as senior forward Adrien de Bontin reflected, "luck isn't always on your side." After a succession of consistent challenges by the Amherst offense and a series of heartbreakingly close shots that sailed wide of the frame or were saved by Williams goalkeeper Nick Armington, Williams forward Kit Fuderick managed to steal the ball and find a hole in the Amherst defense. With only eight seconds left in regulation time, Fuderick found the back of the net to clinch another Eph victory.
Although understandably disappointed, the Jeffs were proud of their performance against the nationally-ranked Ephs. "We may have played our best game against Williams," said de Bontin. "We looked more solid and together than they did."
The Amherst men channeled this optimism into their NESCAC quarterfinal game against Bates the next morning. Having tied the Bobcats earlier this season, Amherst was aware that this could be a close game. Forward Joe Gannon '06 opened scoring with an unassisted shot that gave the Jeffs the lead in only the sixth minute of play. However, the Jeffs have a tendency to play down to the level of inferior teams, and their performance for the remainder of the first half reflected this habit. About 33 minutes into the game, Bobcat Ithai Schori ripped a breakaway shot past Amherst rookie goalkeeper Jeff Grover to level the score.
After a scoreless second half, the Jeffs battled the Bobcats through double overtime, and it seemed that the game would ultimately be decided in a shootout when O'Donnell drew a foul in the Bates box with only four seconds remaining. With the game on the line, Gannon showed the composure of a seasoned player by converting the penalty kick in beautiful fashion, securing a spot for the Jeffs in next weekend's tournament semifinals.
Despite an undeserved loss to Williams on Saturday, this weekend Amherst fans were finally given a glimpse of the true ability of the men's soccer team. Even through disappointing losses and ties, the Jeffs assured their fans that they would pull together and accomplish great things. With an initial inability to finish penalty kicks and the loss of senior goalkeeper Greg Lockwood and senior co-captain Ian Lovett to injuries, the outlook appeared bleak. But the Jeffs have overcome these obstacles and now more than ever it seems that their once distant and uncertain ambition can become reality. The Jeffs continue their post-season play in the NESCAC semifinals against Middlebury College on Saturday at Williams. The winner will advance to the conference finals on Sunday.