Around the Herd: Oct. 23 to Oct. 29 in Athletics

Women’s Soccer

For the team’s Senior Day game, the Mammoths faced off against Bowdoin College.

Amherst started strong against the Polar Bears, bringing the energy for their extra-large crowd. In the 11th minute, Precious Novidzro ’27 made an excellent pass to the left wing, where Abby Schwartz ’25 dashed past Bowdoin defenders for a chance on goal. Schwartz then delivered on the opportunity, hitting the back of the net and giving Amherst the early lead. The game remained a back-and-forth battle until the 43rd minute, as Bowdoin scored the equalizer. The Polar Bears swiftly took the lead in the second half with a scored penalty kick in the 56th minute. Amherst wasted no time, however, as Schwartz once again found the back of the net only five minutes later. The Mammoths kept pressing, getting opportunity after opportunity on goal. Unfortunately, they could not capitalize on the chances and settled for a 2-2 scoreline against Bowdoin.

The team waits for their placement and opponent in the NESCAC tournament, with the first game on Nov. 2.

Football

In their Homecoming matchup, the football team hosted the Wesleyan University Cardinals.

The team was determined in the first quarter, holding Wesleyan to a three-and-out first drive. Amherst’s next drive only went for four plays, garnering 50 yards and ending in Marek Hill ’28 throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Carter Jung ’26. Wesleyan’s quarterback was met with a swift sack in their next play from Kemit Fisher ’26, setting the tempo for the rest of the first quarter. Hill then connected with Matthew Diaz ’27 in the next drive, scoring 14-0 against the defensive giant Wesleyan. The Mammoths were unable to, however, maintain this momentum for the rest of the half. Despite the defense’s best efforts, Wesleyan got a long, drawn-out touchdown before the second quarter ended. The Cardinals got the ball back and converted a field goal to end the half, making the score 14-10 Amherst. The third quarter began with two back-to-back Wesleyan touchdowns due to the Cardinals recovering an onside kick after their first score. Despite their best efforts, the Mammoths could not break through the defense in the second half. A garbage-time touchdown by the Cardinals made the final score 31-14 in Wesleyan’s favor.

The football team will play Trinity College at home this Saturday at 1 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team traveled to Boston and competed against Emerson College.

Three kills from Anaya Thomas ’25 set the tone early for the Mammoths, taking the lead 6-5 in the first set. Amherst only scored three more points, while Emerson garnered nine more points. Amherst then went on a four-point run thanks to kills from Charlotte Rasmussen ’26 and Ellie Myers ’28. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to guarantee the win, as Emerson pulled through to claim the first set. Emerson went on several big runs against Amherst in the second set, which proved fatal and earned them the second set. A team effort in the third set gave Amherst the lead 7-6, which began a tight battle between the two sides. A late five-point run by the Lions made the score 23-18 in Emerson’s favor, which put the nail in the coffin for the Mammoths and granted Emerson the overall win. Kinsey Cronin ’25 led the team in kills with nine, followed by Myers and Thomas. Renee Liou ’26 had 24 assists in the game, the only Mammoth to reach double digits in assists. The game ended in a 3-0 sweep for Emerson over Amherst.

The women’s volleyball team will take on Middlebury College this Friday, followed by Williams College on Saturday for their Senior Day game.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team played against Bowdoin College this past Saturday.

The Mammoths had an electric start to the match, as Fynn Hayton-Ruffner ’25 scored only two minutes into the game. Fifteen minutes later, Micah Valadez Bush ’25 assisted Mohammed Nuhu ’27 for the game’s second goal. Bowdoin got on the board in the 31st minute, producing a 2-1 scoreline at halftime. Nuhu once again scored three minutes into the second half off an assist from Ben Clark-Eden ’25. The game was full of fouls from both sides, as Amherst fouled 13 times compared to Bowdoin’s 14. The rest of the game resulted in no scored goals, with superb defensive efforts from Amherst, who only allowed one shot on goal in the second half. The game ended as a 3-1 win for the Mammoths over the Polar Bears.

The team will soon enter the NESCAC tournament, awaiting decisions on their placement and opponent after their regular season’s conclusion.

Field Hockey

On Saturday, the field hockey team celebrated their Senior Day with a home game against Bowdoin College. The Mammoths had a strong offensive start against the Polar Bears. In the fourth minute, Sam Maynard ’25 had a close opportunity after she intercepted a clearance made by Bowdoin’s goaltender, but her shot was blocked. Later in the first quarter, Charlotte Domittner ’25 denied an offensive attempt from the Polar Bears to regain possession for Amherst. Goaltender Grace Puchalski ’27 also exhibited the Mammoths’ defensive strength, blocking a Bowdoin penalty shot with less than two minutes left in the first. Amherst found offensive success in the second quarter when Justine Liguori ’26 seized the ball from a Bowdoin midfielder and then slotted a pass to Caroline Busler ’28, who dodged her defender and found Molly Donegan ’26 open at the left post. Donegan redirected the ball into the net, marking her seventh goal of the season. Six minutes into the third quarter, the Polar Bears tied the game off their fourth penalty corner. The Mammoths had a chance to regain the lead in the fourth quarter, but a shot by Liguori hit the net post. After finding an offensive stride, Bowdoin won the game in overtime.