Around the Herd: Oct. 9 to Oct. 15 in Athletics

Football

The football team hosted Bowdoin College this past Saturday.

The Polar Bears began the game strong with a nearly nine-minute-long scoring drive against the Mammoths. Bowdoin’s quarterback, Michael Wolfendale, the 12th-best rusher in NESCAC, demonstrated his ability to run with 44 rushing yards in the first quarter. The Bowdoin defense constantly threatened quarterbacks Marek Hill ’28 and Mason Morrow ’26, who got sacked seven times collectively this game. Bowdoin ended the first half up 21-0, with the Mammoths unable to respond. Amherst would finally get a score on the board late in the fourth quarter with a 52-yard passing touchdown from Hill, caught by Carter Jung ’27. The Mammoths’ defensive highlights include two interceptions against Wolfendale from Luke Harmon ’26 and Ryan Monteleone ’25 and a team-leading 10 total tackles for Damian Carrano ’26. Bowdoin outclassed Amherst in this matchup, beating the Mammoths 35-7.

The football team will travel to Maine this Saturday to face Colby College, looking to break their three-game losing streak.

Women’s Volleyball

This past week, the volleyball team played against Springfield College and Wesleyan University.

The first set against Springfield went back and forth, coming down to the final two serves to give the Pride the first set with the score 28-26. The Mammoths began the second set strong and led 3-1, but Springfield quickly took the lead and claimed the second set 25-12. The third set looked optimistic for both teams, trading shots and points almost every serve. Despite Amherst leading 18-17, Springfield rallied for four points, scoring 21-18. This rally proved fatal as the Pride maintained their lead and won the set 25-21, securing the match victory for Wesleyan. Sofia Camilo ’28 recorded nine kills, Renee Liou ’26 led in assists with 24, and Lizzie Papalia ’25 was excellent defensively with 19 digs.

In their match against Wesleyan, the Mammoths pulled out a narrow victory in the first set. Critical factors in the Mammoths’ win were six kills from Camilo, two aces from Anaya Thomas ’25, and an ace from Charlotte Rasmussen ’26 to end the set. The Cardinals immediately responded, however, taking the second and third sets with large margins of victory. In the fourth set, Amherst could not take the lead against Wesleyan, resulting in a 25-19 win for the Cardinals. Camilo again led the team in kills with 12, Liou generated 33 assists, and Papalia produced 16 digs.

The Mammoths will compete against Connecticut College and Trinity College this Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer traveled to Boston this past Saturday to take on Emerson College.

Amherst and Emerson traded shots early into the game, with both teams registering four shots against the other. The Mammoths found their form in the 35th minute, generating five total shots, two of which were on target. This late momentum shift in the first half carried over as Niall Murphy ’25 scored the opening goal for Amherst only seven minutes into the second half. In the 77th minute, Mohammed Nuhu ’27 was awarded and scored a penalty kick. Andrew Tremante ’26 joined Murphy and Nuhu as a goalscorer in the 82nd minute, sealing the game for Amherst. The game ended 3-0 in the Mammoths’ favor.

The men’s soccer team faces off against Hamilton College this Saturday, attempting to extend their five-game win streak.