On Saturday, the Jeffs took on Connecticut College for their second NES-
CAC game of the year. Despite their 0-5 NESCAC record, the Camels had recently dropped close games to Tufts University and Middlebury College. The Jeffs were able to jump out to a quick 4-1 lead after the first quarter and seemed to have a firm grip on the game.
However, the Camels' zone defense gave the Jeffs some trouble. In the next period both teams were only able to score one goal and the Jeffs went into halftime with a 5-2 lead.
In the third quarter the Camels charged at the Jeffs, completely dominating offensively to regain the lead. After four straight goals against, the Jeffs actually found themselves on the wrong end of the score, 6-5. After Senior tri-captain attacker Chris Hofmann knotted the score, Conn. came right back to take the lead again with just 3:08 remaining in the game. Senior tri-captain attacker Derek Cherney decided to take matters into his own hands and tie the game off a feed from sophomore attacker Brett Miller.
After the onset of four goals, the defense settled down and seniors Owen Neil and David Beck led the Jeffs zone defense to prevent anymore damage.
With the game now tied at 7-7, the Jeffs had a new sense of momentum and saw a breakout performance from junior midfielder T.J. Jackson. Jackson was able to net a goal with just 0:40 remaining in the game, scoring the game-winner.
"The feeling was pure ectasy," described Jackson about the winning goal and come-from-behind victory. The goal was Jackson's third of the game. Cherney added two goals and three assists himself. Hofmann scored two goals and first-year midfielder J.T. Milone netted one. Between the pipes sophomore goalie Matt Pietroforte made 11 saves for the Jeffs.
Just as Saturday's game was dramatic, Monday's game against Springfield College proved to be no different. Despite a 2-5 record, the Pride has played one of the toughest Div. III schedules and has lost to some of the nation's top teams. They came into Amherst rather hungry and determined for a victory. The Jeffs were also very eager for a win, having fallen to Springfield last season.
The contest proved to be physical, but the Jeffs were able to do a good job in holding their own and not being overpowered. Ultimately, the game came down to the fourth quarter yet again. After falling behing early, the Jeffs immediately tied the game with a goal from Milone. A little later in the period Milone added another tally to give the Jeffs the lead.
The Jeffs squandered this lead as Springfield scored three times in a row. Milone stopped the bleeding by completing a hat trick in the first half, cutting the Pride's lead to 4-3 at the break.
Springfield extended its lead to 6-3 to start the third period, but Jackson scored twice to close the gap. After a solid stand by the Amherst defense, first-year midfielder Rob Denious made a smart substitution play, getting the ball and scoring the tying goal.
In what might have been the most exciting fourth quarter the Jeffs have played this season, both teams battled back and forth. The Jeffs were down two goals at one point, but battled back with a feed by Miller to first-year attacker Tom McDonnell.
Fifteen seconds later, Hofmann again found the back of the net and tied the game 9-9.
After an enormous man down stand by the Amherst defense with only 1:15 to play, the Jeffs got the ball back and put it in the hands of Cherney. Despite being locked off the entire game, Cherney had managed to net one goal and dish two assists. With 30 seconds remaining, he took the ball behind the cage, drove up the side and turned the corner with barely enough daylight to see his goal clinch the game. The final score of the contest was 10-9.
In a game in which possessions were long, faceoff men first-year Matt Kellman and sophomore Nick Gilligan won 12 of 19 draws.
Amherst held the advantage in penalties, only committing two while cashing in on a pair of Springfield's. Cherney posted a game-high nine shots, and tallied four points. Milone's three goals matched Jackson's point total of two goals and an assist. Denious, McDonnell, sophomore midfielder Tim Thornton, senior tri-captain midfielder Rob Madden, Hofmann and Miller each had one point on the game. Pietroforte had 16 saves to earn the win.
On Wednesday the Jeffs will travel to Hartford, Conn., to play NESCAC rival Trinity College. Last year against the Bantams, the Jeffs lost a close game by just one point. They are looking to avenge that loss and bring their perfect NESCAC record to 3-0.
NESCAC Notes
At the end of week number four, the NESCAC standings are relatively bunched. Tufts and Williams College sit at the top, with a 3-0 record. Amherst sits right behind them, lacking only in games played, with a 2-0 league record. Middlebury College finds itself in fourth, while Trinity and Wesleyan University sit at an even .500. The bottom third of the league, comprised of Colby, Bates and Conn. Colleges, all remain winless in the league, though only Conn. is without an overall victory.
Helping the Ephs to their top ranking has been league points leader junior attacker Dixon Hargrove, who leads Williams so far this season with 19 points, 15 in NESCAC play. He is tops in the league in assists thus far with eight and is tied for fourth in the conference in goals per game.
The leader in that category, Middlebury's Jim Cabrera, is averaging an unreal three goals per game, having scored nine already in NESCAC competition. On the defensive side, Tufts goalie Matt Harrigan is leading the conference in goals-against average at 5.33. The Jeffs' goalie, Pietroforte, however, sits atop the conference in save percentage, at an impressive .735, and saves-per-game, at 18.