Around the Herd: Oct. 21 to Oct. 27 in Athletics

Volleyball

This week, Amherst volleyball was busy, competing against both Wellesley College and Emerson College. The Mammoths beat Wellesley 3-0 but fell to Emerson 0-3. 

On Thursday, Amherst traveled to Wellesley, where the first set began competitively. The teams exchanged points till they tied at 18-18. A kill from Chloe Mensah ’30 and an ace from Stella Jacey ’29 gave Amherst momentum for a 5-point run, making the score 23-18. Gabrielle Hines ’29 and Raegan Lentz ’30 later won points that ended the set 25-20. The second set was equally exciting, the momentum continuing with service aces from Katelyn Xue ’30 and kills from Sofia Camilo ’28 and Hines, and the Mammoths won it 25-15. Finally, the third set was more competitive, with the teams reaching a tie at 22-22. Amherst was able to clinch the match with another Camilo kill. The final score of the third set was 25-23. 

The next day, the Mammoths traveled to Boston to face Emerson. Starting strong, Amherst gained an 11-7 lead. Yet, Emerson responded quickly, switching the score to 23-19. With the help of kills from Addison Lau ’29 and Tiana Richardson ’27, the Mammoths tied the score up at 23. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough, and Emerson fired back and took the set 25-23. The second set was very competitive, with the teams exchanging points until Amherst gained a 20-15 lead on two aces from Lau and kills from both Richardson and Hines. However, Emerson launched a comeback and gained momentum, battling to win the second set 26-24. The third set was less contentious. Emerson took an early lead and maintained it until the final score of 25-14. Despite strong kills from Naima Cho-Khaliq ’29 and Lau, Amherst ended up falling to Emerson 0-3.  

Next weekend, the Mammoths have an exciting Halloween-day senior day match against rival Williams. 

Women’s Soccer 

The women’s soccer team faced little-three rival Wesleyan on Saturday and walked away with a 2-1 victory, their first NESCAC win of the season. 

Amherst scored two goals in under four minutes, coming from behind in the second half to clinch the win with a herd of alumni cheering wildly from the sidelines. In the first half, the teams were sitting evenly, both unable to break through for a goal. The Mammoths and the Cardinals each recorded four shots, with Corina Bellermann ’30 making two saves to maintain the scoreless tie heading into halftime. In the 49th minute, Wesleyan scored the first goal of the game. Determined to equalize, the Mammoths increased their pressure, ultimately succeeding in the 74th minute when Millie McLeod ’28 scored her first career conference goal off an assist from Abigail Danso ’28. With the score now tied at 1-1, Amherst refused to let up. Only three minutes later, the Mammoths attacked again, with Nell Dwyer ’28 converting an assist from Ani Populoh ’29 in the 77th minute to put the Mammoths in the lead 2-1. The Mammoths fended off Wesleyan’s efforts to come back, ultimately securing an important NESCAC victory. The Mammoths and the Cardinals each recorded 10 shots and four corner kicks, and Bellermann ended with four saves in goal. 

The team traveled to face Trinity on Tuesday, closing out their season with a 3-0 shutout. The Mammoths now hold a 7-8 record overall and are 2-8 in NESCAC play. 

Men’s Soccer

Last week, the men’s soccer team defeated Husson University on Wednesday and battled to a tie against Wesleyan on Saturday.

Wednesday night, Amherst defeated Husson 4-0. From the start, Amherst controlled the play, earning four corner kicks in the first 14 minutes. Obed Opoku ’28 took two early shots on goal that were both saved by Husson’s goalkeeper. In the 17th minute, Opoku set up Finn Hoefer ’‘29 for the 1-0 lead. Husson stayed within one for the rest of the half, saving shots from Edward Wilkey ’30, Hoefer, and Riley Priddy ’27 to maintain the deficit. Amherst goalkeeper Spencer Kreitzer ’29 stopped an Eagles shot on goal in the 30th minute to hold the 1-0 Mammoth lead at halftime. Eight minutes into the second half, Amherst doubled its lead. Following a corner, Opoku set up Wilkey, who made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute. In the 73rd minute, the pair connected again, with Opoku assisting Wilkey’s second goal of the night, giving the Mammoths a 3-0 lead. In the 87th minute, Amherst was awarded a penalty kick which Dylan Price ’29 came off the bench to convert, making the final 4-0.

Overall, Amherst had a 28-5 advantage in shots and put 17 of those attempts on target compared to Husson’s three. The Mammoths also earned 17 corner kicks to the Eagles’ two. Husson committed 12 fouls compared to Amherst’s nine, and Husson received the game’s only yellow card. 

On Saturday, the Mammoths returned to NESCAC play and faced Wesleyan on Senior Day. In the 23rd minute of the game, Amherst broke the deadlock when Vincent Akanbo ’29 converted a penalty kick to give the Mammoths a 1-0 advantage. In the 72nd minute, though, Wesleyan scored to tie the game 1-1. The Mammoths nearly reclaimed the lead when a Wilkey shot hit the top woodwork, but neither team scored down the stretch, leaving the game tied at 1-1. Overall, the Mammoths had a 15-9 advantage in shots though both teams finished with three shots on goal. Wesleyan had eight corner kicks compared to Amherst’s four and both teams committed 14 fouls. 

After another NESCAC win against Trinity, Amherst’s record improves to 7-3-5 overall (2-3-5 in conference). 

Field Hockey

This Saturday, the Mammoths took on Wesleyan at home on Hill Field in celebration of their eight seniors. Unfortunately, the team fell 6-1 to a worthy Cardinal team.

Grace Pulchaski ’27, contrary to what the score reflects, put up some solid numbers in net. She recorded six saves on the day, rendering a 50% clearance rate. Unfortunately, the Cardinals were able to find the back of the net in every quarter of play; they scored once in the first and second, and twice in the third and fourth. The Mammoth offense struggled early on, recording no shots in the first quarter, but managed to get three on target in the second. Two of these came from Emily Huhen ’28, and one from Chloe Agopian ’27. After another quiet third, with the only shot attempted by Devon Watson ’29, the Mammoths found the most success in the last frame. Amherst’s first goal on the day was scored by Watson off a nice assist from Cate LaFreniere ’30. An additional six shots on goal attempts were generated by Amherst, including one each from LaFreniere, Emma Zhang ’29, Bella Kim ’29, and two from Genivive Caruso ’27. All were valiant efforts, but, unfortunately, none seemed to fall. 

After finishing their regular season with a 4-1 win against Trinity on Tuesday, the Mammoths now sit at 9-6 overall (4-6 in the NESCAC). They look forward to post-season NESCAC play where they will face Middlebury College on Saturday. 

Head of the Herd - Millie McLeod

This past weekend, the Amherst soccer team vanquished conference foe Wesleyan, with the help from the efforts of junior striker Millie McLeod ’28, who recorded her first conference goal on the season. McLeod scored the first of two goals for the Mammoths on the day and was instrumental in holding off the Cardinal’s efforts to equalize. For her goal and the team’s feel-good win on senior day and homecoming weekend, McLeod earned the title of this week’s Head of the Herd