Taking an early lead against the Cardinals on Wednesday, midfielder Will Ferrer '08 assisted senior tri-captain Derek Cherney to put in the first goal of the game. Wesleyan refused to allow Amherst to secure the lead and responded with a goal to tie the game only a minute later.
Amherst was determined to stay ahead, and with a goal by midfielder Tim Thorton '09, assisted by attackman Tom McDonnell '10, the Jeffs regained the lead. But the Jeffs were unable to hold on to the lead and Wesleyan managed to put in two more goals to end the first quarter with a 3-2 lead.
As in the beginning of the game, the Jeffs started strong in the second quarter. Only two minutes in, McDonnell evened the score off of a pass from Cherney, but once again Wesleyan retaliated. The Cardinals went up 5-3, taking the biggest lead either team had seen so far in the game.
The Jeffs once again refused to fall behind as attackman Thomas Foote '09 put in two goals to bring the game to a tie. Amherst dominated for the remainder of the half, but despite their tireless efforts, the Jeffs were unable to earn another goal. The half ended with the game tied, 5-5.
Wesleyan came out hard in the second half, taking the lead only one minute in. The Cardinals got another tally and remained ahead until late in the quarter when attackman Brett Miller '09 and McDonnell each snagged a goal to tie the score for the forth time in the game.
Amherst pulled ahead by two in the final quarter, scoring both goals in the first 2:30 of play. The Cardinals fought back, earning one goal shortly after Amherst's run, but Jeffs preserved the lead until late in the quarter when Wesleyan tied the game. Despite their efforts, neither team could claim the lead, and the game was forced into overtime. It was not until the second overtime that the Cardinals managed to end the game, when Russell Follansbee scored on a low wrap-around shot to claim the victory for Wesleyan.
After heartbreaking loss to the Cardinals, the Jeffs were hungry for a win when they faced Williams in their second Little Three match-up of the week. Cherney netted Amherst's first goal midway through the first quarter, but his effort was answered a mere nine seconds later when Michael Vrla scored his first of six Eph goals in the game. Junior midfielder T.J. Jackson then brought Amherst ahead with an unassisted goal, giving the Jeffs a 2-1 lead to finish the first quarter.
Vrla and Jackson went back-and-forth at the beginning of the second quarter, each tallying two goals on the quarter until Cherney stepped in. The Jeffs' leading scorer put in his second goal of the game in the middle of the stanza to bring Amherst ahead by two points, the largest goal differential either team would see for the remainder of the game. Williams decreased its deficit to one point with four minutes left in the half. Playing strong defense, Amherst nearly held the Ephs back for the rest of the half, until Kelly slipped in a goal at the buzzer to tie the game.
As the 5-5 tie at halftime was somewhat reminiscent of the Amherst's loss to Wesleyan, the Jeffs were determined to pull this game in their favor.
Much to the Jeffs' dismay, Williams came out strong, pulling ahead for the first time of the game a little over a minute into the second half. First-year midfielder John-Thomas Milone evened the score two minutes later off of an assist from Cherney. Amherst began to falter later in the quarter allowing Williams to pull ahead by two going into the final 15 minutes of play.
Going into the fourth quarter, it was clear just how badly Amherst wanted the win. Wasting no time, Cherney put in two goals to tie the score in the first three minutes of play. A penalty with nine minutes to go put Williams up one player. The Ephs took advantage of the opportunity, putting in a goal as the penalty expired to take the lead. However, Amherst would not let up, and Cherney collected his fifth tally of the game to bring the teams to a tie with just four minutes remaining. Neither team was able to put in a goal, and the Jeffs were forced into their second extended game of the week.
Both teams played tight defense, holding each other off until the final minutes of the first overtime period. "We put a lot of trust in [first-year goalkeeper Andrew] Harrison, and he really pulled through," said Foote. Harrison made his second consecutive start in the Williams game and has proven to be a great asset for the Jeffs' defense.
With a little over a minute left in overtime, McDonnell ended the game with an unassisted goal. In what proved to be a second chance at settling a 9-9 tie in Little Three play, Amherst came away with a 10-9 victory over Williams.
"We were determined not to allow for a repeat of the game against Wesleyan," said Foote, also adding that in playing two close games, the team learned that it is important never to let up. Amherst came back strong against Williams despite a string of conference losses. The Jeffs showed poise and determination as they refused to give up momentum in their season. Cherney is realistic about the team's mistakes and optimistic about its potential. "[We] still need to put together four good quarters and avoid fourth-quarter barn-burners," he said. "If we can put teams away, there shouldn't be a team we are unable to beat." Hoping to make use of the energy gained from defeating Williams, Amherst will host Bowdoin College at 2:00 on Saturday.
NESCAC Notes
Tufts and Wesleyan Universities are currently leading the NESCAC with only one conference loss apiece. Tufts fell to number three Williams on Monday. Wesleyan has a direct loss to Tufts, which could have play-off implications. Meanwhile, Trinity College is tied with Williams in third place. The Bantams and Ephs will meet head-to-head this Saturday.
There were also a number of outstanding individual performances in the NESCAC last week. Michael Vrla, a junior attackman for the Ephs, scored 13 of Williams' 18 goals last week as the Ephs went 1-1. Connecticut College first-year attackman Steve Dachille scored four goals in the Camels' victory over Roger Williams University and followed that up with three goals and two assists in a loss at Endicott College.