Around the Herd: Sept. 2 to Sept. 7

Field Hockey

This past Saturday, the women’s field hockey team defeated Connecticut College 2-0, a strong home opener to kick off the season. 

The Mammoths came out strong, with two bold shots in the first quarter. Only three minutes in, Emma Zhang ’29 threatened the goal with a strong shot that was narrowly defended by the Camels’ goalkeeper. Devon Watson ’29 fired another promising shot just barely wide of the goal towards the end of the quarter. Entering the second frame, the game was still scoreless, with goalkeeper Grace Puchalski ’27 expertly defending the Mammoths’ goal against two tough shots from Connecticut College. Just five minutes before halftime, Bella Kim ’29 assisted Caroline Busler ’28, who deftly dodged the defense to land Amherst’s first goal of the season. 

Keeping the pressure on, Busler, Zhang, and Emily Huehn ’28 had a combined six attempts on goal in the third quarter, helping Amherst maintain a dominant presence on the field. On defense, the Mammoths also excelled, preventing the Camels from getting within scoring distance for the entirety of the period. In the fourth and final quarter, Puchalski saved three shots, maintaining Amherst’s 1-0 lead. In the final 40 seconds of the game, Busler took possession of the ball and assisted Chloe Agopian ’27, who netted another tally for the Mammoths just under the wire. 

For their next game, the Mammoths will host Springfield College on Wednesday. 

Volleyball

The women’s volleyball team traveled to Bristol, R.I., this week to compete in the Roger Williams Invitational. They split their two games there, losing 3-0 to Plymouth State on Saturday morning before rebounding with a straight-sets victory over Roger Williams later that afternoon. 

Against the previously undefeated Roger Williams Hawks, Amherst set the tone early, with Sofia Camilo ’28 ending the contest’s first point with a kill. Then, after a string of Hawks errors, middle hitters Raegan Lentz ’30 and Tiana Richardson ’26 spearheaded a 10-3 Amherst run, extending the Mammoth lead to a commanding 16-8. Coasting down the stretch, another Camilo kill won the set 25-21. 

The second frame was tighter, with Amherst locked stride-for-stride with Roger Williams until the set’s end. Defining efforts of the back-and-forth include libero Stella Jacey ’29’s three straight aces and a flurry of Mammoth kills as the set wound down. Amherst won four straight points to claim the second set 25-22. 

The Mammoths won the third set comfortably. Gabrielle Hines ’29 recorded four of her team-leading 11 kills, Lentz pitched in three kills of her own, and Hines, Jacey, Liliana Brandt ’30, and Judith Subirats-Bosch ’29 all added an ace apiece to the swamping Mammoth effort. Ultimately, Amherst ran away with this one, ending the set and the contest on a 13-3 run, their first win of the year 

The Mammoths traveled to Springfield College on Tuesday to wrap up the Roger Williams Invitational, before heading east this weekend to compete in the UMass Boston Tournament. There, they will face the Rochester Institute of Technology on Friday, and play SUNY Plattsburgh and UMass Boston on Saturday.

Women’s Cross Country

On Saturday this week, the women’s cross country team began its season with a third-place finish at the Little Three Championships.

In Middletown, Connecticut, the Mammoths faced off against Williams and Wesleyan in a four-kilometer race. Making a strong collegiate debut, Sydney Remenar ’30 crossed the finish line first for Amherst, finishing seventh overall with a time of 15:13. Finishing right behind her, Katie Greenwald ’29 took eight place with a time of 15:14. The next Mammoth finishers were Eva Muzichenko ’30 in 17th place, Taylor Gudebski ’28 in 18th, and Grace Alexander ’30 in 19th with times of 15:55, 16:09, and 16:13 respectively, who rounded out Amherst’s scoring five. The Mammoths finished with 69 points — trailing the Ephs’ 22 and the Cardinals’ 43 — to finish in third place.

On Saturday, the team will host the Battle of Massachusetts Relays meet. 

Men’s Cross Country

Last Saturday, the men’s cross country team traveled to Wesleyan to run in the Little Three Championships, placing third.

Competing against rivals Williams and Wesleyan, the Mammoths ran a six-kilometer course over the weekend. Harrison Dow ’27 finished first for Amherst, running a time of 18:26 to place third overall. Following closely behind in fourth place, Carter Bengtson ’29 crossed the finish line in 18:29. Finishing next, Jonah Schulman ’30 ran to a tenth-place finish with a time of 18:51 in his collegiate debut. Then, finishing back-to-back, Parker Boyle ’27 placed 13th with a time of 18:55, and Ben Kasen ’28 placed 14th with a time of 18:55, rounding out the Mammoths’ scoring five runners. Amherst finished in third place with 44 points, just five points short of the Ephs’ and Cardinals’ tied score of 39. 

Up next, the team will compete in the Battle of Massachusetts Relays this Saturday.

Women’s Soccer

This past Saturday, the Women’s Soccer team faced NESCAC foe Connecticut College in their home opener, ultimately falling 4-3 in a hard-fought battle. 

The Mammoths dominated the first half. Despite falling behind 1-0 after an early Camels goal, Amherst roared back with three unanswered goals of its own. In the 22nd minute, less than two minutes after Connecticut College’s goal, Jessica Lomo ’27 collected a ball just outside the eighteen-yard box and sent a screamer to the top corner, evening the score at 1-1. The next Amherst goal in the 28th minute started with a spectacular run by Emma Darling ’29, who carried the ball all the way up to the Camels’ box and deftly dished it to Maya Siegel ’29 for the goal. The final goal of the half was again scored by Lomo, this time off an assist from Sophie Chen ’29, who had carried the ball up the wing before finding Lomo at the top of the box for her strike. 

Unfortunately, despite Amherst’s strong start, the second half was seized by the Camels. Despite storming back with three consecutive goals, the Mammoths lost their 3-1 halftime lead and fell 4-3 at the end of regulation. Goalkeeper Molly Davidson ’29 recorded her first collegiate start and tallied six saves during the loss, though Cornia Bellerman ’30 ended the game in net after subbing on in the 78th minute.

The Mammoths look forward to facing Worcester Polytechnic Institute on Wednesday before hosting NESCAC foe Bowdoin on Saturday.   

Men’s Soccer

This past Saturday, the men’s soccer team also faced Connecticut College and, despite their best efforts, fell 3-1 after 90 minutes of play. 

An exciting rematch of the 2024 NCAA National Championship, the stage was set for a physical and tightly contested afternoon. Both teams remained scoreless over the first half of play, with the Camels foiled by the valiant defensive efforts of the Amherst back line. Although nothing found the back of the net, the Mammoths generated many opportunities with their nine corner kicks over the course of the match. 

All four goals were scored in the second half, with the Camels unfortunately claiming three of them. The game’s final goal, the Mammoths’ first of the day, was scored off a nice feed by Harrison Hackett ’30 to an open Sam Davis ’28 in the 89th minute. Goalkeeper Spencer Kreitzer ’29 entered in the 67th minute and recorded three saves. Physicality dominated play, as the teams ended with a combined seven yellow cards and two red cards. 

The Mammoths continue their season with a contest against Albert Magnus College on Tuesday and then one against conference opponent Bowdoin on Saturday. 

Head of the Herd

Junior forward Caroline Busler ’28 was instrumental in the Mammoths’ first game of the year in a win over NESCAC opponent Connecticut College this week. Busler showcased her playmaking abilities by contributing to both Amherst goals, scoring on the first and assisting on the second. “I am super excited for the rest of our season! I think our team has focused on building a really strong culture, and I know we can go really far this year if we keep working hard on and off the field and supporting each other.” 

For her outstanding performance, Busler earned NESCAC Player of the Week recognition, and now, this week’s Head of the Herd.