The first win in the four game streak was a 3-1 defeat of NESCAC rival Connecticut College. Jake Duker '09 had a career day against the camels, netting a hat trick. Three minutes into the first half, Duker scored the first of his three goals. The Camels scored an impressive goal, but Duker would put the game away with an early second half score off of a Mark Crane '10 throw-in. Mo Zeidan '07 would deny the Camels the rest of the way and the men's squad allowed some of their reserves hard-earned playing time in the second half. In the 77th minute, Duker poached his third goal of the game off of a well-placed cross from captain Mike Wohl '07.
The dominant Conn. College performance was followed with a game of similar score and outcome, but of much greater significance. No NESCAC win should be scoffed at, but a 3-1 win against Middlebury College, one of the most dominant soccer programs in the region, should provide a moral boost to any team. The men's squad came sprinting out of the gate, scoring two goals within the first 20 minutes of the game. Wohl netted the first goal off sophomore Nick Lynch's pass. Duker scored the first of two goals on the afternoon off of a throw-in from senior co-captain Rob Madden '07 and a neatly flicked ball from Ryan O'Donnell '08.
Late in the game, Duker drove home a penalty kick. But with 15 minutes left in regulation, goaltender Zeidan stared down a Middlebury penalty taker, and made an amazing save to preserve the lead. The team was thrilled by their second-half play. "That second half of soccer was one of our best all season. We just had the wheels turning," exclaimed O'Donnell. "Grayson had another sensational game for the defense and Mo [Zeidan] made the save of the season to keep us up 3-1."
Next up for the Jeffs was Western New England College, which was the last out of conference team on the schedule for the Jeffs. Ian Lovett '07 netted the game-winning goal near the end of regulation to seal a 1-0 win against WNEC, a team that defeated the Jeffs last year and made a run to the NCAA Sweet 16. With the win, the men's team ended out- of-conference play undefeated.
The Jeffs played host to Colby College Saturday afternoon, dominating the pace of play and out-shooting the mules 19-2 en route to a 2-0 victory. In the 26th minute, Wohl played a ball through to O'Donnell who schooled the 'keeper and found the top right corner of the net in strikingly similar fashion to Del Piero's clinching goal in the semifinal of the World Cup. The second goal saw Lynch play a wonderful through ball to Wohl, who then slotted it home for the second-and final-goal of the game.
The dominant play has been represented by a strong offensive attack, but also by shutting out two of their last four opponents. Jeffrey Grover '09 has combined with Zeidan to create quite a formidable goalie duo. When asked about the two-goalie rotation, Zeidan stated, "It's working out pretty well. The great thing is Jeff and I get along great, and the coaches have confidence to put either of us in. It's part of our overall team chemistry, we support each other."
With the Jeffs demonstrating that they are one of the elite teams of their region, they have also earned the distinction of the 17th-ranked team in the nation. Things are looking great now, but the most important games are yet to come. Williams College and Wesleyan University remain on the schedule, giving the Jeffs a chance to earn a the first seed in the NESCAC playoffs. In addition to bragging rights, the Little Three Crown and a first-round bye would mean that the men's squad could make their push for the NESCAC title here at Amherst, hosting the semifinals and finals of the conference tournament. "[A regular season title] is a realistic goal, and it's something that we almost expect. It's a three-horse race," said O'Donnell.
NESCAC Notes
Amherst is currently second behind Wesleyan, and Williams trails just behind at third in the overall conference standings.