Around the Herd: Oct. 7 to Oct. 12 in Athletics

Volleyball

This week, the volleyball team fell to two NESCAC opponents, losing 3-0 to Bowdoin on Friday and 3-0 to Colby on Saturday.

In Brunswick, ME, the Mammoths took an early 4-2 lead after Gabrielle Hines ’29 delivered a series of kills. A block from Tiana Richardson ’27 and a service ace from Addison Lau ’29 then pushed the lead to 8-6. The Polar Bears found an offensive stride of their own, however, and went on to score the next 11 points to take a 17-8 advantage. This momentum would continue for Bowdoin as they went on to win the set 25-13. In the second set, after the Polar Bears broke out to an early 11-7 lead, Sofia Camilo ’28 and Hines produced kills in a 5-0 burst to take a 12-11 lead for Amherst. The Mammoths extended their advantage to 19-17 with a kill from Lau and a service ace from Hines, but ultimately couldn’t hold on to their lead, and Bowdoin took the set 25-22. Amherst rallied in the beginning of the third frame; kills from Richardson, Hines, and Naima Cho-Khaliq ’29, and a service ace from Lau brought the Mammoths up 10-4. The Polar Bears bounced back, though, and tied the score at 16 apiece. Amherst continued to battle, with two kills from Cho-Khaliq and Abby Nichols ’28, putting them back ahead at 20-18. Bowdoin prevailed in the end, however, scoring five straight points to win the set 26-24 and the match in straight sets.

The next day, the Mammoths continued their Maine road trip in Waterville. The Mules found an early 10-5 lead, but Amherst stayed close as kills from Lau, Hines, and Raegan Lentz ’30 narrowed the deficit to 14-10. Richardson and Lentz delivered kills late into the stanza, but Colby managed to pull away with a 25-19 win. The Mules then controlled much of the second frame, keeping the Mammoths to only seven points. Three kills from Lau in the third set generated some offensive momentum for Amherst, but Colby ultimately claimed the final set 25-10, sweeping the Mammoths. 

The team returns home on Friday to face conference opponent Bates.

Women’s Soccer

This week, the women’s soccer team fell to Hamilton 1-0 on Saturday before heartily besting Emmanuel College 7-1 on Monday. 

In Saturday’s NESCAC matchup, Hamilton outshot Amherst 17 to 13, though Amherst had eight saves compared to Hamilton’s six. Hamilton scored the only goal of the game in the 16th minute to bring the final score to 1-0 for the Continentals. 

On Monday, the Mammoths took the Saints by storm. Five different players scored for Amherst, including two freshmen, Mandy Sutton ’30 and Katerina Davis ’30. Additionally, Nell Dwyer ’28 scored her first career goal for Amherst before netting her second, both within the first 14 minutes of play. Eager for a win on the heels of another frustrating conference loss, the Mammoths controlled play throughout, with a 29-5 advantage in shots and 13-2 in corner kicks, ultimately achieving their most decisive win of the season. In the first three minutes, Dwyer put the team on the board after an early corner kick and a shot from Ani Populoh ’29. Ten minutes later, the Mammoths earned another corner kick, which Pao Monter ’28 used to set up Dwyer for her second shot, bringing the score to 2-0. Before the end of the half, Davis, Caroline Coletti ’28, and Millie McLeod ’28 each threatened Emmanuel’s goal, though the score remained 2-0 heading into the break. 

Amherst brought the same heat into the second half. Refusing to let the momentum slow, they scored three times in under eight minutes. Emma Darling ’29 extended the lead in the 48th minute, followed by a goal from Coletti and another from Davis to extend the lead to 5-0. In the 67th minute, Allison Hayes ’29 found Sutton, who netted the Mammoths’ sixth goal. Only two minutes later, Davis followed through with her second goal of the match, bringing the score to 7-0. Emmanuel scored its only goal in the 80th minute for a final score of 7-1. Three goalkeepers defended Amherst’s goal: Corina Bellermann ’30, Molly Davidson ’29, and Sara Nagle ’29; each recorded one save. 

Following the victory, Amherst holds a 5-6 overall record and is 0-6 in NESCAC play. For their next game, the Mammoths will travel to face Colby on Saturday. 

Men’s Soccer

Last week, the men’s soccer team defeated Babson College on Wednesday and battled to a scoreless tie against Hamilton on Saturday. 

Wednesday night, Amherst earned a 3-0 road win over Babson. In the 18th minute, the Beavers nearly scored when a Babson forward’s shot bounced off the post. Moments later, goaltender Trey Sheppard ’28 denied a Beaver attempt, and the match remained scoreless. Three minutes later, Wilder Judelson ’29 and Riley Priddy ’27 connected to set up Edward Wilkey ’30 for a 1-0 lead. Just over two minutes into the second half, Timothy Chow ’29 fed the ball to Judelson, who scored to make it 2-0. Amherst continued to put pressure on the Beavers, earning three corner kicks in seven minutes. At the 66-minute mark, Mohammed Nuhu ’27 and Priddy set up Vincent Akanbo ’29 to give the Mammoths a 3-0 lead that held till the end of the game. Throughout the game, the Mammoths placed seven shots on target to Babson’s three. Babson had four corner kicks while Amherst had three. Both teams earned nine fouls and two yellow cards. 

On Saturday, Amherst returned to NESCAC play against Hamilton in Clinton, NY. The Mammoths fought hard to grind out a scoreless draw. In the first seven minutes, the Mammoths earned back-to-back corner kicks beforeJacob Dinzeo ’28 placed the Mammoths’ only shot on goal of the match, which was saved by Hamilton’s keeper. In the 10th and 12th minutes, Hamilton responded with two shots on goal, both saved by Sheppard. In the 42nd minute, Nuhu released a long-range strike that hit the crossbar, leading the match into a 0-0 half. In the 57th minute, Akanbo received a red card, leaving Amherst down a player for the final 33 minutes of play. With increased pressure, Sheppard and the Amherst backline denied many late opportunities. Sheppard made a total of six saves to secure a draw. Overall, the Continentals had a 16-12 advantage in total shots and a 6-1 edge in shots on goal. Amherst led 9-4 in corner kicks. 

Amherst’s record is now 3-3-3 overall, and 0-3-3 in conference. The team continues its season on Saturday, on the road against Colby. 

Field Hockey

This week, the field hockey team shut out Western New England University, 3-0, on Wednesday, and fell 1-0 to Hamilton on Saturday.

On Hill Field against the Golden Bears, the Mammoths came out hot from the get-go. Cate LaFreniere ’30, Genevieve Caruso ’27, and Caroline Busler ’28 all fired shots on goal that forced Western New England’s goaltender into action. Amherst continued to barrage the net in the second quarter as LaFreniere and Emily Huehn ’28 both registered shots in the first three minutes. A minute later, Busler took possession following a Golden Bears foul and found Caruso, who launched the ball into the net. Six minutes later, after an extended period of offensive possession, LaFreniere fired a beauty past Western New England’s goalie to double the Mammoths’ lead. Amherst continued to apply pressure in the third quarter, and — less than two minutes after halftime — Caruso scored her second of the game off a pass from LaFreniere. The Golden Bears recorded their first shot on goal later in the third, but goaltender Grace Puchalski ’27 stifled the attempt. Western New England’s only other shot attempt came in the final period, but goalie Kate Grady ’28 made the save to preserve the 3-0 shutout victory.

The following weekend in Clinton, NY, LaFreniere was again the first Mammoth to record a shot on goal. In the opening seven minutes, the midfielder launched a shot off a breakaway chance that forced the Continentals’ goalkeeper into action. Midway into the second quarter, Bella Kim ’29 slapped a shot of her own, which was also blocked. In the final minute of the third stanza, Hamilton broke through the stalemate after a Continental forward launched a one-timer following a penalty corner. The Mammoths tried to find the equalizer in the final quarter, but nothing solidified, ending the contest 1-0 for Hamilton.

Football

This week, the football team hosted Middlebury and won in stunning fashion, beating the visiting Panthers 23-22. 

The game began slowly, with neither team scoring in the first quarter. Both teams punted away their opening drive, with Amherst forcing a Middlebury three-and-out on the Panthers’ first possession. Then, after a promising Mammoth drive was ended by a defiant Panthers goal-line stand, the defense again stood firm and forced a quick punt. Beginning their first drive of the second quarter near midfield, Amherst’s offense found its groove. Starting quarterback Marek Hill ’28 returned from injury this week, and he looked fully healthy on this drive, picking apart the Panther defense through the air and punctuating the effort with a 13-yard strike across the middle to Jadon Davis ’29 for a touchdown. After another defensive hold, the Mammoths got the ball back and drove to the Panther 10-yard line with big completions to Christian Moore ’27 and Davis. A field goal from there pushed Amherst’s lead to 10-0. 

Yet Middlebury stormed back, scoring 14 unanswered points and taking a 14-10 lead into the final quarter. Amherst’s first drive of the deciding frame petered out with a field goal miss, but the defense delivered a timely stop, and the Mammoths then retook the lead off a 49-yard lightning strike from Hill to Davis on their ensuing possession. In the back-and-forth of this fourth quarter, though, that lead was short-lived, as the Panthers responded with a touchdown drive of their own to pull ahead 22-16. Facing a must-score situation with 7:23 remaining, Hill stepped up. Max Alexander ’29 caught three passes for 48 yards on the drive; Davis caught two for 10; and Moore caught two for 10, including a 5-yard touchdown catch. Converting the extra point to take a 23-22 lead with 2:27 remaining, Amherst turned to its defense to cement the win. Though Middlebury proceeded to drive down to the Amherst 7-yard line, their would-be game-winning field goal attempt was blocked by Wyatt Morgan ’28 with seven seconds remaining, tumbling short of the goalpost. Hill kneeled out of the game after Morgan’s heroics, having thrown for an impressive 315 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the dramatic victory. 

The Mammoths remain atop the NESCAC standings, tied with Trinity and Wesleyan at 4-0. This Saturday, the Mammoths head to Waterville, ME, to play against Colby. 

Head of Herd: Jadon Davis ’29

Amherst moved the ball all game in their razor-thin win over Middlebury, predominantly doing so through their aerial attack. The Mammoths racked up 315 yards of passing offense against the Panthers, with Jadon Davis accounting for 144 of those yards on nine receptions, two of which Davis hauled in for touchdowns. Speaking to his efforts in the win, Davis commended how connected this Amherst offense is. “Honestly, it’s been a lot of fun,” he said, “I think (how close we are) shows on the field.” Looking down the line, Davis is eyeing a potential NESCAC championship and playoff appearance. However, he knows that the Mammoths “have to take this process one week at a time. And this week [they] just need to go 1-0 against Colby!” For his outstanding performance against Middlebury, Jadon Davis receives this week’s Head of the Herd award.