Pre-season All-America selections Andrew Wilcox '06 and Derek Cherney '07 will carry this young Amherst team, along with fellow quad-captains Kevin Boova '06 and Sean Murray '06. A key will be for others to excel while Wilcox-a three-time All-NESCAC selection-and Cherney-a two-time All-NESCAC selection-garner most of the opposition's attention. "Our real success will depend on how others respond to increased roles on both offense and defense," Murray said.
Smarting from the losses to graduation, the Jeffs realize they have to work harder than ever before, and have responded to the call. "We had exceptional attendance at all of our off-season workouts; everyone is working extremely hard to improve themselves," said Murray. Along with hard work, this team has another weapon: athleticism. "Out of my four years here this is definitely the most athletic team we have ever had top to bottom," said Boova. "What we lack in experience this year we will hopefully make up for in athleticism, especially early on."
Cherney and Chris Hofmann '07 will head the attack again this year, along with classmate Chris Hahm in an expanded role. Starting Cherney-last year's NESCAC leader in points and goals-alongside Hofmann for the second year in a row should increase the comfort level of a very young team. First-years Brett Miller and Tom Foote will also vie for time.
Murray, the anchor of last year's second line, will combine with Boova and classmate Joaquin Walker to lead the offensive. Walker, who Boova touts as "the fastest player in the NESCAC," returns from a year off. Also contributing will be senior Caleb Deats and sophomores Will Ferrer, and Mike Donovan. First-years Ben Babbott, Matt Himler, Nick Gilligan and Conor McDowell will compete for time.
The defensive midfield remains completely intact from last year, featuring long-sticker Wilcox and the short-stick crew of senior Ben Lavely and sophomores Chris Mottau and T.J. Jackson. Sophomore Freud Valentin will also look to make a contribution.
The only shakiness of this team lies on the defensive end, as a group of former reserves must prove themselves as starters. Rookie goalie Matt Pietroforte leads the inexperienced group, along with senior defenders Kyle Hunt, juniors Owen Neill and David Beck and sophomores John Armideo and Brett Larson. Chris Fitzpatrick and Clint Marchese, first-years, will look to help stop the opposition, along with backup goalie Raul Altreche '06.
As far as team goals, Amherst has set its sights high. "Our biggest goal for the year is to win the NESCAC Championship and finally break into the NCAA's," said Cherney. Achieving this goal means the Jeffs must make it past the NESCAC semifinals, which is where their season has ended the past four years. A few games to watch are April 8 at home against Middlebury College and April 15 at Wesleyan University. Middlebury, who is consistently at the top of both the NESCAC and the NCAA Div. III pool, will be the main hurdle the Jeffs need to overcome in order to win the conference title. Meanwhile, a heated rivalry with Wesleyan has boiled over, as Wesleyan has taken the last four meetings.
The season begins Saturday at Bates College. It should be a good early test. "Bates has always played us tough so next Saturday will be a good first test for our team," said Murray. "I am looking forward to seeing how our younger players respond to the challenges that Coach Carmean has placed upon them."