The Jeffs advanced to the second round of NCAA play with a win in penalty kicks after a scoreless match against Western New England College. First-year goalkeeper Lennard Kovacs saved two PKs to lead the Jeffs to victory.
Each team had several scoring opportunities. The Jeffs’ offense often had near misses on many of their scoring chances, while their defense handled the Saints’ offensive attempts. Amherst had its first shot in the 12th minute when forward Ian Rothkopf ’11 won a header off a corner kick by senior midfielder Nick Lynch that went just wide of the goal. The Saints responded at the 30-minute mark. Kovacs saved a long-range goal with a diving left to knock the ball out, then went on to grab the cross of the resulting corner kick. A minute later, Kovacs was again called on as he punched a ball out of the goal. The Jeffs’ defense then handled and cleared a Saints rebound. Amherst ended the half with a final volley from first-year forward Jae Heo, whom the Saints’ goalkeeper, senior Emilio Coletta thwarted with a spectacular save.
In the second half, Coletta again snuffed Heo and Rothkopf had another near miss, just inches off the goal from a pass by midfielder G.L. Genco ’10. The Jeffs finally drew blood in the 68th minute, relying on their leading scorer and quad-captain forward Jake Duker ’09. Heo battled to knock a head ball to Duker, who took advantage of the opportunity to blow the ball past Coletta for the game’s only goal.
The physicality of the game increased after the goal, with both sides earning yellow cards for rough fouls. The Jeffs and Saints each had one last scoring chance. Amherst forward Chris Skayne ’11 added another close miss to the game’s tally, while Kovacs made another stellar save to seal the win as the Jeffs ran out the clock.
With a one-goal game against St. Lawrence and a win in penalties against WNEC, it became clear that the level of competition was increasing — and fast. With so many quality teams still in the running, willpower alone is deciding the wins and losses columns.
“[Sunday’s] game was a battle of wills,” said quad-captain Grayson Holland ’09. “It came down to who was going to work that five or 10 percent more than the other team. We knew St. Lawrence was a fit, hard-working and energetic group and we had to weather their early storm. We were able to convert on our chance and that ended up being the difference. Every team in the [NCAA] tournament deserves to be there for one reason or another, there are certainly no pushovers. The little things are what will win or lose you the game. We did the little things right and were able to come away with a 1-0 win.”
That being said, the Jeffs are taking no time to enjoy their achievements.“It’s good to be back in the Round of 16,” noted Head Coach Justin Serpone. “Of the 418 teams that play Div. III men’s soccer, there are only 16 practicing this week and I’m happy that we are one of them. However, we’re not preparing to play this weekend satisfied with where we are. The time to look back on our accomplishments is after the season ends, for now our focus is to just win the next game.”
The Jeffs’ next game will be against Swarthmore, a fast, athletic team that Serpone claims is having a storybook season. However, the men are ready to end their fairy tale — and not with a “Happily Ever After”.