Along with the success of the incomplete 2009 season, the Jeffs suffered two confidence-shaking losses to conference rivals Conn. College and Williams College. The defeats were hard hits to the Amherst record. The unexpected loss to Conn. College added a blemish in the Jeffs’ 2-0 NESCAC record, leading Amherst into their first loss of the season. In the next week, the team regained their energy when Amherst defeated non-conference foe Springfield College. However, this defeat of Springfield did not seem to be enough of a morale booster because the Jeffs lost to Williams in an eventful 2-1 game less than a week afterwards.
“Anytime you lose to Williams it’s heartbreaking,” said Head Coach Justin Serpone. “One of our goals every year is to beat our rivals and we fell short.” Fortunately, this heartbreak did not last long; the Jeffs came back, ready to dominate the field, and they are currently riding a four-game winning streak.
Serpone feels that each loss this season was necessary to teach the Jeffs the lessons they need to succeed in later games. The team’s struggle this season was mainly in offensive play; the team was fierce defensively, but fell short on the offensive side at times. This shortcoming ultimately contributed to the team’s losses this year. After gaining the necessary cohesiveness and focus as a team — while implementing a solid offensive strategy — the Jeffs were able to come out on top.
Dominated by 19 first-years and sophomores, the 2009 lineup is very young. The team has had to work very diligently on preparing a strong team to become a success in the NESCAC and live up to the expectations that were set after the victory in the 2008 NESCAC Championships. The freshness and youth of the team that allowed Amherst to harness new and diverse talents, however, may have provided an obstacle in building a successful team. Nevertheless, the Jeffs were able to build a strong cohesive team that has been efficacious.
The seniors have also been crucial to the team’s success. Their leadership during the season moved the team in the desirable direction to move pass defeats and run into victories. There are a total of five seniors on the 2009 team: co-captains defensive midfielders, Matt Lewis and G.L. Genco, defensive midfielder Chris Devine. defender Reid Wilson, and goalkeeper Ansel Orr.
Coach Serpone believes co-captions Lewis and Genco are “two of the best players in the NESCAC Conference” and he sees them as the “foundation of the soccer team.” With their guidance, the team has been able to achieve its goals of taking the season one game at a time. Tough players Devine and Wilson have played a major role in the successes of the team; Serpone defines them as having progressed from “important role players” on the team to “full-time starters that have played a large role in the Jeffs success to date.” Finally, there is goalkeeper, Ansel Orr. The coach describes Orr as the “best teammate one can find.” Orr has had a tremendous impact on the program, which is “much bigger than what is found on the statistics sheet.”
The Jeffs faced the Bates Bobcats on Hitchcock Field on Wednesday. The game slowly travelled through the first half, going into half-time with a 0-0 tied match. Within 10 minutes of the start of the second half, Devine kicked the ball towards the goal and Lewis planted it in with an intense head shot. Soon after, the Jeffs began to pick up their momentum. About 15 minutes after the first goal, the Bobcats goalkeeper was led away from the goal awesome effort by Chris Skayne ’11. The ball was passed to James Mooney ’12 and a clear shot was completed. The final goal of the game was kicked from the right by Mooney to be placed in to the goal by Noon. This win brings the team to a five-game winning streak.
The men’s soccer team has the talent and the drive to make the most of what time remains in the fall season. With only two games remaining until the opening of the NESCAC Championships, the Jeffs must still fight through to maintain their position. Amherst currently sits as the fourth seed in the NESCAC standings and a spot in the championships almost guaranteed. While the team’s recent successes and season achievements have been very promising, the season is not yet over. There are two very important games remaining before the NESCAC Championships against Wesleyan and Trinity.
This upcoming competition is going to be fierce, and it will not be an easy match. The Jeffs will need to put all their force into the next two NESCAC games to gain a good seed in the conference championships. The next game for the Jeffs is tomorrow against Wesleyan University on Hitchcock Field at 2:30 p.m.