Both teams came out swinging, each scoring three goals in the first period. The Jeffs took the early lead, led by junior attacker Tom McDonnell, who scored two goals to put the Jeffs up 3-1. However, two late goals by the Polar Bears ended the first period of play tied at three apiece. Amherst came out strong again in the second period, scoring the first three goals, with senior attacker Brett Miller scoring one and assisting another. Again though, Bowdoin retaliated with three goals of its own to end the half at a stalemate.
In the third period, the Polar Bears continued their momentum from the first half to take their first lead of the game 8-6. With 1:41 remaining in the period, McDonnell scored again to cut the lead in half going into the final period. Midway through the fourth quarter, Bowdoin’s Mark Flibotte scored a pair of key goals to put the Polar Bears up 10-7. With less than five minutes left in the game, Amherst made a final comeback rally. Midfielders J.T. Milone ’10 and Evan Redwood ’12 scored within a minute of each other, bringing Amherst within one, but the Jeffs could not get the equalizing goal. Senior midfielder Tim Thornton had a chance to be the hero of the game with a 15-yard attempt at the buzzer, but his shot sailed wide as the horn sounded. McDonnell led all scorers with four goals, while Redwood tallied two goals and two assists. In goal, senior captain Matt Pietroforte had 11 saves.
“Bowdoin was ranked 13th in Div. III when we faced them and remains undefeated in the NESCAC,” commented senior quad-captain Chris Fitzpatrick. “We fall to 1-2 in the NESCAC but are far from out of contention, as it is a competitive league with tremendous parity.”
Amherst faces some stiff competition in the NESCAC this year. Currently, four of the nine NESCAC teams are ranked in Div. III: Tufts leads in the ninth spot, while Middlebury, Wesleyan and Bowdoin rank 11th, 12th and 13th, respectively. However, the Jeffs return a strong lineup and welcome a talented freshman class. Despite the loss of T.J. Jackson ’08, a first-team all-NESCAC and NEILA All-New England Second Team midfielder, two second-team all-NESCAC players, Fitzpatrick and McDonnell, return with a number of veteran starters. A talented freshman class has already begun to make an impact on the team, demonstrated by Redwood’s two key goals and two assists in the match against Bowdoin.
The Jeffs tried to rebound on the road against non-conference opponent Skidmore College last night, but ultimately fell, 14-7.
The Jeffs and the Thoroughbreds traded goals in the first quarter before Amherst gained a 5-3 advantage with 1:55 left to play to win the first quarter. However, Skidmore retaliated and the second period ended with the two teams tied at six. The Thoroughbreds then blew the door open with a three goal run with 4:33 remaining in the quarter. The Jeffs will next try to break a two game losing streak when they finally return to their home field against Bates Saturday.
With such a promising team, the Jeffs anticipate improved results later in the year.
“The team’s high hopes and goals remain,” said Fitzpatrick. “We will continue to work hard in practice, taking one game at a time as we get into the heart of our conference schedule.”