Around the Herd: Oct. 2 to Oct. 8 in Athletics

Volleyball

The volleyball team played two NESCAC rivals in Bowdoin and Colby this week.

On Friday night in the LeFrak Gymnasium, the Mammoths faced the Polar Bears. Thanks to four service aces from Amherst as well as kills from Sofia Camilo ’28, Anaya Thomas ’25, and Charlotte Rasmussen ’26, the first set was evenly matched. Bowdoin eventually took the set with three straight kills after the score was tied 22-22. The second set remained close with kills from Thomas and Kinsey Cronin ’25 keeping the score tied 7-7, but the Polar Bears did not trail again after making an offensive push. Allie McLaughlin ’27 and Tiana Richardson ’27 each had two kills to keep the score close, but Bowdoin’s momentum continued, winning them the second 25-21. After another tie in the third set of 13-13, the Polar Bears again scored back-to-back points to lead 20-15. The Mammoths responded with a service ace from Lizzie Papalia ’25 and kills from Thomas to narrow the deficit to 20-18, but kills from the Polar Bears lifted Bowdoin to a 25-21 victory.

The next day, the Mammoths had a strong start against Colby. Kills from Rasmussen and Thomas helped Amherst find a 10-6 lead in the first set. After the Mules were able to narrow the Mammoths’ lead, the score was tied 22-22 until a service ace from Colby won them the set 25-23. After an initial tie of 10-10 in the second, the Mules found offensive momentum, scoring nine consecutive points to lead 20-13. Colby went on to win the set 25-20 despite efforts from Cronin and Camilo to narrow the gap. In the third set, the Mules took an initial lead of 11-6. Rasmussen, Cronin, and Brielle Renwick ’27 all made kills in response, resulting in a score of 18-15 in favor of Amherst. This lead continued to 24-22 with more kills from Camilo and Thomas. The set was tied at 27-27 until the Mules scored back-to-back kills to take the third 29-27 and win the game.

This Thursday, the volleyball team will head south to play Springfield College.

Field Hockey

The No. 13 ranked field hockey team faced the No. 12 team in Wesleyan this weekend.

The Mammoths were the first to score on Saturday’s game on Hill Field against the Cardinals. Within the first four minutes, Maya Harrington ’27 passed the ball through Wesleyan’s defense to a wide-open Chloe Agopian ’27 who put it into the lower left corner of the goal. The Mammoths quickly doubled their lead when Sam Maynard ’25 scored on a breakaway off a pass from Molly Donegan ’26. The second quarter was scoreless thanks to the Amherst defense that kept the Cardinals to only one shot attempt. The Mammoths had offensive opportunities in the second period with close attempts from Maynard and Agopian that forced Wesleyan’s goaltender to make multiple saves. The Cardinals found the back of the net with only 27 seconds left in the game after two yellow cards against the Mammoths gave Wesleyan a two-player advantage. The Cardinals attempted desperately to find the equalizer when they were awarded four penalty corners with seven seconds left on the clock. Two key saves by goaltender Grace Puchalski ’27 and a clearance from Harrington in the last moments of the game led the Mammoths to a 2-1 victory.

The field hockey team will return to Hill Field to host Tufts University this Wednesday.

Men’s Soccer

This week the men’s soccer team faced Manhattanville University and Wesleyan University.

In Purchase, New York, the Mammoths had a dominant game against the Valiants. Just over two minutes into the game, Mohammed Nuhu ’27 slotted the ball into the net off a feed from Riley Priddy ’27. The same duo would double the Mammoths’ lead in the 15th minute; after winning a 50-50 ball, Priddy made a pass to Nuhu who bested the goaltender on a two-touch volley. Nuhu would score his third of the night with an assist from Micah Valadez Bush ’25, marking his first career hat-trick and second multi-goal game for Amherst. The Mammoths continued to find ways through the Valiants’ defense when Adrian Trott ’26 made the score 4-0 in the 27th minute. With 10 minutes left in the first half, Manhattanville netted a consolation goal off their first shot of the game. In the second half, Aidan Curtis ’25 added another to Amherst’s scoresheet with a penalty kick goal. The Mammoths would continue to demonstrate their offensive prowess with goals from Michael Cherico ’28 and Ioannis Hadjiyiannis ’26, which were both assisted by Obed Opoku ’28. The game ended with shots 22-6 for Amherst and a final score of 7-1.

On Saturday, the Mammoths honored their 13 senior players on home turf before facing their Little Three rival, Wesleyan. Amherst had multiple close opportunities from the start of the match before finding the back of the net. In the 10th minute, Nuhu redirected a clear to Simon Kalinauskas ’25 who headed the ball into the goal. (The senior fittingly scored the only goal of the game.) Just before halftime, Jonny Novak ’25 executed a well-timed slide tackle to intercept the ball from a Cardinal forward, and maintain the Mammoth’s lead going into halftime. Both teams had close chances in the second half of the game with Wesleyan’s goaltender saving an attempt from Niall Murphy ’25 and Priddy saving a near-goal to prevent a tie-game. Ben Clark-Eden ’25 also made a clutch defensive move by blocking Wesleyan’s final shot attempt with a slide to give the Mammoths a 1-0 victory.

Looking to continue their win streak, the men’s soccer team will face Emerson College next Saturday on the road.

Football

The football team played against the Middlebury College Panthers this past Saturday.

After Middlebury had gotten off to a 20-0 lead against the Mammoths in the first half, a 10-play, 75-yard series in the third quarter ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Mason Morrow ’26. The score would extend to 20-14 with a two-yard touchdown run by Marek Hill ’28 in his collegiate debut for the team. Middlebury would manage to score in the fourth quarter, making the score 27-14. A final rally resulted in a passing touchdown from Morrow, connecting with Sam Gerber ’26 for 15 yards. The offensive highlight is Owen Gaydos ’25, who caught seven receptions for 105 yards. Luke Harmon ’26 is the game’s defensive highlight, amassing 11 total tackles. Despite the offense and defense efforts in the second half, Amherst lost to Middlebury with a score of 29 to 21.

The Mammoths will try to return to their winning ways in a home game against Bowdoin this Saturday.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team maintained their nine-game undefeated streak with their match against Wesleyan University.

The Mammoths and Cardinals started a high-paced, back-and-forth battle as soon as the whistle blew. Wesleyan tested Amherst keeper Mika Fisher ’25 throughout the first half, forcing six saves. Attempts from Alyssa Huynh ’25 and Abby Schwartz ’25 were the only shots on target for Amherst in the first half, with three more shots on goal in the second half. The Cardinals lacked any serious shots at the goal, letting Amherst dominate offensively. However, the Mammoths’ best efforts were not enough to find the back of the net. Amherst settled for a tie against Wesleyan, ending the game 0-0.

The team looks to maintain their undefeated streak as they face Tufts at home next Tuesday.

Men’s Cross Country

The men’s cross country team participated in the Paul Short Run on Saturday.

Harrison Dow ’27 once again led the Mammoths with a time of 25:11.6, placing 23rd in the race. Henry Dennen ’26 followed Dow by less than a second at 25:12.4, ranking 24th overall. Nick Edwards-Levin ’25, Ben Kasen ’28, and Drew Stephens ’26 made up the rest of Amherst’s top five runners, finishing 51st, 58th, and 75th, respectively. The team finished 6th out of the 41 teams competing in the Paul Short Run and only fell behind five fellow nationally-ranked programs.

The men’s cross country team will travel to Waterford, Connecticut, to compete in the Connecticut College Invitational on Oct. 19.

Women’s Cross Country

This past Saturday, the women’s cross country team competed in the Paul Short Run.

Flora Biro ’28 continued her dominant performance with a 9th-place finish and a time of 21:18.1. Julia Schor ’25 placed 24th overall with a time of 22:03.8, while Audrey Seegar ’28 finished 5.4 seconds after Schor, earning 31st place. 4th and 5th place for the team were Rowan Bixler ’28 and Claire Callon ’25, with times of 22:10.8 and 22:15.4, respectively. Among the 46 teams, the Mammoths confidently secured the victory, remaining undefeated through three competitions.

On Oct. 19, the Mammoths will participate in the Connecticut College Invitational.