Oct. 6 marked the beginning of the torrent of games, with a particularly glorious Amherst win in a home game against Husson University. The Jeffs dominated the game, scoring seven points against the Husson Eagles’ zero. The game on Gooding Field began at a good pace, with the Jeffs outshooting their visiting opponents 17-1.
The first goal resulted from a penalty, a hand ball in the box, and Spencer Noon ’13 made the most of his first opportunity for a relatively clear shot 13 minutes into the game. Within five minutes, the team was back at the Husson goal, playing aggressive offense. Co-captain Ian Rothkopf ’11 made a shot that cascaded into the net with 27 minutes remaining on the clock. Noon later scored his second goal of the night off a pass into the box by James Mooney ’12.
In the second half, the goals continued at an even faster pace. The fourth came just five minutes into the second half by Casey McNamara ’13 and the succeeding fifth, sixth and seventh goals, shot by McNamara, again, T.J. Kelley ’12 and Andrew Bixler ’14, further sealed the Amherst victory. The Eagles’ goalie, despite recording 10 saves, faced an Amherst onslaught with 33 shots on goal.
The next game, this time against Middlebury, presented more difficulties for the Lord Jeffs. In the first game in which they were held scoreless since the season opener against Bowdoin, the Panthers snuck by the Jeffs after scoring a single goal in the second half. It was the team’s first loss of the season.
Despite this first loss, the Lord Jeffs were not willing to let a single game deter them. The next NESCAC game against Bates was another shutout. Top scorer Noon started the game off with a penalty kick two minutes in. Noon now leads the conference with nine goals on the year. The Jeffs had been unbeaten in their past six games against Bates, and they maintained their undefeated streak while obtaining their sixth shutout of the season.
The downpour of Amherst goals continued, as Julien Aoyama ’14 scored his first collegiate goal, while Mooney maneuvered past the goalie to score — all within the first 13 minutes of the game.
Noon’s second goal came during the second half off Sam Kaplan ’12’s free kick from the midfield. McNamara scored the final goal with 20 minutes remaining.
Last Saturday’s game concluded an eventful two weeks of for the team, and what a game it was. The home matchup against Colby allowed the team to pick up three points in its NESCAC standings and provided a nail-biting spectacle.
While the Jeffs took numerous shots at the Mules’ goal, the game was not decided until just 37 seconds remained on the clock in double overtime. Sophomore Alejandro Sucre, racing past a Colby defender to the ball, headed in his first game-winning goal — one that could not have come at a better time for the Jeffs.
“It was unexpected, but a huge goal and a help for us in trying to win NESCAC,” sophomore Jelani Rooks pointed out.
The team has an entire week off before it plays a NESCAC league game at Wesleyan University this coming Saturday.