An unfortunate Homecoming weekend for Little Three rival Wesleyan University was Amherst’s gain this weekend as the Lord Jeffs took on the Cardinals in Middletown, Conn. Saturday’s game held high stakes for the Jeffs, who delivered a more than satisfactory result. The two teams have maintained a strong rivalry and were an equal 4-4-5 since 2000. However, the importance of the exchange was not simply rooted in Lord Jeff pride. The last Amherst win at Middletown was in 2002, and, with NESCAC standings at stake, that victory eight years later could not have come at a better time.

The odds and skills were on the Lord Jeffs’ side. The game ended 2-1, maintaining the current Amherst streak of allowing no more than one goal during a game. The Lord Jeffs did not manage an opportunity until just 17 minutes remained in the first half. Sophomore Alejandro Sucre’s deflected header bounced to senior quad-captain Ian Rothkopf, who took a shot that went astray.

Despite missing its target, the attempted goal reinvigorated what had been a stagnant game and ignited a flurry of shots. The second close call during that half came at 90 seconds before the whistle called half-time, when Chris Lerner ’13 took the ball off a throw and made a beautiful shot toward the upper right hand corner of the net. However, the Cardinal goalie tipped it over the net.

Despite all the close calls in the first half, the actual scoring came in bunches during the second half, with the Cardinals firing the first shot. Roughly halfway into the second half, a Cardinal player made a nifty shot off a header, putting the hosts one goal ahead.

That lead lasted all of 49 seconds before sophomore Spencer Noon set up Sucre with a perfect cross, which he promptly put away. Sucre and Rothkopf assisted Noon on his 10th score of the season 10 minutes later.

On Sunday, the Jeffs concluded their winning weekend with a 2-1 nonconference victory against Framingham State.

Amherst remains the fourth seed in the NESCAC and is preceded by Bowdoin and Williams (tied for second) and Middlebury, who have yet to lose. Clearly, postseason competition will be tough. But the Lord Jeffs still have one more team to contend with before that. The final game before the quarterfinals is at home against seventh seed Trinity College on Friday at 3 p.m.

On Sunday, the Jeffs concluded their winning weekend with a 2-1 nonconference victory against Framingham State. Rothkopf scored twice in the second half of Sunday’s game.

Head coach Justin Serpone pointed out his team’s penchant for late-game heroics: “All in all, this weekend was a success. We came back in both games from being down a goal and found a way to win.”

Amherst remains the fourth seed in the NESCAC and is behind Bowdoin and Williams (tied for second) and Middlebury, who have yet to lose. But the Lord Jeffs still have one more team to contend with before that. The final game before the quarterfinals is at home against seventh-seeded Trinity, on Friday at 3 p.m.