Bowdoin was a strong opponent, but the Jeffs exerted a full team effort to knock out its fierce competitor. Not constrained to the starting lineup, Head Coach Serpone harnessed the talent on the team by making several strategic substitutions contributing substantially to Amherst’s victory.
“Playing 20 different players was the true definition of a team victory,” commented Serpone.
Team victory was the perfect description for Saturday’s plight. The Jeffs pulled together for the first half of the match and built the momentum leading into an action-packed second half, which was exemplary of the cohesiveness of the team, which ultimately led to a fantastic win.
“Everyone on the field worked hard for the entire game and that gave us a chance to score two goals and win the game,” said Chris Linsmayer ’11.
And everyone did indeed work hard. First-year Spencer Noon scored the two goals in the final half of the game with the help of Henry Rouse ’12 and Linsmayer. James Mooney ’12 described Spencer’s first goal as being “quite a highlight” of Saturday’s game, and said that “it was the spark we needed to put us in the lead as well as make quite an amazing finish.” This was a great breakthrough for the team and for Spencer, personally, because it was his first collegiate goal.
The team had been preparing for the match against Bowdoin for a long time and all of their efforts definitely showed during Saturday’s match. The victory was an amazing and encouraging start to a brand new season, but it is only the beginning. This year, the team has set high standards and this opening match proved that they are on the right path to reaching those goals.
“The most important game of the season is always going to be the next one. We can’t afford to look past anyone,” said Reid Wilson ’10.
Serpone agreed, “We have no expectations for 2009. We’re just going to go out and try to win our next game. We certainly have our work cut out for us this week with one of the best teams in the region, Bridgewater State.”
As long as the team continues along this great path and approach every game with the same passion and motivation, they are sure to win. Taking each game one step at a time, along with much deserved support from Amherst fans, will create the right atmosphere for a great season. The team’s next step will be taken on Wednesday, Sept. 16 against Bridgewater State at 6 p.m. at Gooding Field.