Around the Herd: Sept. 11 to Sept. 18 in Athletics

Men’s Soccer

This past week, the men’s soccer team faced the Williams College Ephs in a competitive matchup.

Coming into Saturday’s match against the Ephs, the Mammoths had not lost in Williamstown since 2005. With 12 fouls in the first half alone, it was clear that the historically spirited rivalry between the two schools was displayed on the field. Amherst held all the momentum during the first period, recording eight shots to the Ephs’ two; however, neither team was able to find the back of the net by the end of the first half. The Mammoths only built upon their momentum in the second half, earning five corners and 12 shots, but it was only the Ephs who found a winning goal. A cross from the left wing allowed a Williams forward to strike a shot which brushed against the shins of Ben Clark-Eden ’25 just enough to deflect the ball past Juan Perez ’26. Although the Mammoth displayed immense attacking prowess during the rest of the match, through Niall Murphy ’25 and Michael Cherico ’28’s three shots each, the score remained at 1-0 in favor of Williams.

The Mammoths will compete against Middlebury College this upcoming Saturday.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team played their archrivals, Williams College, on Saturday afternoon.

Amherst was dominant in the first half, performing with more energy, and maintaining possession for most of the period, yet none of their eight shots were able to find the back of the net. It was the Ephs that took over the momentum of the match by the beginning of the second half. The score still remained at 0-0 until Captain Charlotte Huang ’25 was left in a 1v1 against a Williams forward with seven minutes left in the contest. The defender handled the situation with immense poise, winning the duel, and launching a deep ball behind the Williams high line to Jessica Lomo ’27 who overtook her Ephs defender and sent the ball in top left corner for the clinching goal. The Mammoth 1-0 victory extends their undefeated season with a 4-0 record.

The team will face Middlebury at home on Sept. 21.

Volleyball

The volleyball team went to Rochester this past weekend to compete in the fittingly named Rochester Invitational. The Mammoths played against SUNY Brockport, SUNY Geneseo, and Buffalo State.

In their match against the Suny Brockport Eagles, the Mammoths secured the first set 25-15 after a strong offensive push led by kills from Lizzie Papalia ’25, Sofia Camilo ’28, Brielle Renwick ’27, and Charlotte Rasmussen ’26. The second set was tightly contested, with the Mammoths coming back from behind to win 25-22, thanks to key plays from Kinsey Cronin ’25 and Rasmussen. Despite a strong resurgence capped off with a service ace from Zosia Teraszkiewicz ’28 to tie the third set at 20-20, the Eagles took over and won 29-27. Still, Amherst dominated the fourth set, winning 25-17 to clinch the match. Key contributors included Anaya Thomas ’25 with 12 kills and Renee Liou ’26 with 31 assists, both earning All-Tournament honors.

Against SUNY Geneseo, the Mammoths started strong, taking the first set 25-19 with key kills from Rasmussen and a stunning ace by Papalia. Though the Knights fought back to claim the second set 25-23, the Mammoths regained momentum in the third set, dominating with a 10-2 run and securing it 25-22. In the final set, Chideraa Ngwadom ’27 and Renwick's combined kills helped the Mammoths hold a steady lead, winning 25-23 to close out the match.

Amherst initially struggled in the Buffalo State match but rallied from an early deficit with a surge of kills from Camilo and Allie McLaughlin ’27 to win the first set 25-22. They dominated the second set with strong serving and multiple service aces, cruising to a 25-18 victory. In the final set, the Mammoths maintained control from start to finish, powered by blocks from McLaughlin and Renwick, finishing off the match with a 25-18 win, securing a convincing sweep.

The team will head to Lewiston on Friday for a match against Bates.

Football

The football team hosted Bates College at Pratt Field for the first game of their season.

Price Warfield ’27 began the special teams and defense’s domination over the Bobcats with a forced fumble off of the opening kickoff, quickly leading to an early 3-0 lead. Bates found a way to score a touchdown a few possessions later, but it would be their only points of the afternoon. Mason Morrow ’26 had a stellar first half, finding Keith Delaney ’27 for a 44-yard reception, and setting up his own two-yard rushing touchdowns. Carter Jung ’26 built upon the special teams resume with a 52-yard punt return at the start of the second half. The Mammoths were unable to capitalize on their field position, however, a few possessions later, Morrow spread the ball around with a series of short-range receptions to get his team inside the 10-yard line. From there, the quarterback took the offense into his own hands, finding a gap in the defense, and sprinting seven yards to earn himself another rushing touchdown. Luke Harmon ’26 was the highlight of the defense, recording 12 tackles as well as the team’s only two interceptions, consistently stalling any momentum the Bobcats managed to create. The game ended with a score of 19-7.

The Mammoths will seek to improve upon their 1-0 record with an away game against Hamilton this Saturday.

Field Hockey

During the past week, the field hockey team played two hard-fought games against Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Williams College.

Caroline Busler ’28 opened up the scoring with three minutes left in the first quarter — her third of the season. The Mammoths continued to find chances for the rest of the game, recording 13 shots on goal, but none led to a second score. With only a few minutes left in the match, the Engineers were the ones to find the back of the net, tying the game and sending it to overtime. During the extra period, the two teams exchanged a series of penalty corners, but, with only 94 seconds left in the game, the Mammoths launched a flurry of shots on the WPI goalkeeper. Although she saved the first two shots, Sam Maynard ’25 clinched the victory with the third one, taking home the competitive match in a 2-1 scoreline.

In Williamstown, the game proved much more difficult. Both defenses played extremely well in the first half, neither allowed their opponent a shot on goal. The Mammoths earned themselves five penalty corners in a row at the start of the second half, yet they could not find a breakthrough. The team maintained a lead in both penalty corners and shots throughout the contest, but it was the Ephs that broke through with two easy goals to win the game, according Amherst their first loss of the season.

The Mammoths will seek to bounce back against Western New England University on Wednesday evening.