Around the Herd: Sept. 30 to Oct. 5 in Athletics

Men’s Soccer

This week, men’s soccer hosted 18th-ranked Tufts and drew 3-3 against the visiting Jumbos.

Amherst dominated the contest’s first half. A mere six minutes after the opening whistle, Finn Hoefer ’29 broke through the Jumbo defense and beat the keeper with a clever near-post finish to put Amherst up 1-0. Then, in the 30th minute, the Mammoths struck again. A Mohammad Nohu ’27 strike forced a save from the Tufts goalie, who deflected the ball behind his net for an Amherst corner kick. On the ensuing set piece, a threatening delivery created chaos in the box, and Edward Wilkey ’30 was able to capitalize on the confusion, rolling the ball past the goalie for Amherst’s second goal on the day. And the Mammoths weren’t done. Less than two minutes later, Hoefer scored his second goal of the match and third of the season with a sparkling volley to complement a picturesque Nohu cross. Unfortunately, this would be the high-water mark for the Mammoths, who gave up ground the rest of the way and ultimately conceded the equalizer in the 69th minute. Over the chippy final 20 minutes — in which four yellow cards were doled out — Nohu, Hoefer, Obe Opuku ’28, and Luka Ohadike ’27 all forced opportunities for Amherst, though none of their shots found the back of the net. 

The tie brings Amherst’s record to 2-3-2 as the Mammoths continue to seek their first conference win. This week, they will visit Babson College on Wednesday before returning home for a NESCAC matchup against Hamilton on Saturday.  

Volleyball

Last week, the volleyball team defeated Connecticut College on Friday and then fell to Trinity on Saturday.

Friday night, Amherst defeated Connecticut College 3-1 in its first in-conference victory. In the first set, the Mammoths went ahead to an 11-6 lead with kills from Ellie Myers ’28 and Sofia Camilo ’28. The Camels responded, getting to within three at 16-13, but Amherst went on another run to secure the first set in a 25-17 victory. The Mammoths fell to Connecticut College in the second set, 25-16. Then, in the third set, the Mammoths went on a 3-0 run while already up 9-8. Abby Nichols ’28 and Gabrielle Hines ’29 had consecutive kills, joined by a service ace from Naima Cho-Khaliq ’29. Connecticut College later drew to within one, but kills from Hines, Nichols, and Raegan Lentz ’30 stopped the Camels’ run and secured a 25-22 Mammoth victory in the third set. In the deciding set, Amherst established an early 11-3 lead. Then, the Camels fought back and tied the score at 15. From there, Hines and Lentz gave the Mammoths a brief lead at 18-15 before the Camels again bounced back and gained a 20-19 advantage. In a final rally for the Mammoths, though, kills from Lentz and Hines led the Mammoths to a 25-22 set win and match triumph. 

The Mammoths then fell to Trinity on Saturday afternoon. In the first set, Amherst struggled offensively with the Bantams getting an early 10-5 lead. Addison Lau ’29 had two kills in a row, cutting the lead to 16-12. The Bantams then scored nine of the remaining 10 points in the set and won it 25-13. In the second set, Amherst pulled ahead 19-18 with help from Lentz, Tiana Richardson ’27, Hines, and Chloe Mensah ’30. However, Trinity scored the next six points and won the set 25-20. In the third set, Trinity rode their momentum to a 17-6 lead. Though the Mammoths cut the lead to 20-13 with kills from Richardson and Stella Jacey ’29 and a service ace from Liliana Brandt ’30, the Amherst rally fell short as the Camels secured a 25-16 victory.

The 1-1 week brings Amherst’s record to 8-6 overall, and 1-4 in NESCAC play. The Mammoths continue their season on Friday, Oct. 9, against Bowdoin. 

Women’s Soccer

Last week, the women’s soccer team beat Emerson College 1-0 on Wednesday and fell to Tufts 3-1 on Saturday. 

In their game against Emerson, the Mammoths were decisively in control with a 12-3 advantage in shots. For much of the first half, the Lions did not register a single attempt on goal thanks to expert full-90 performances from Pao Monter ’28 and Nell Dwyer ’28.  Early in the second half, Amherst turned its consistent pressure into a goal with Ani Populoh ’29 netting the only tally of the night in the 55th minute. Emma Darling ’29 and Katie Pedersen ’27 were also consistent threats, finishing with three shot attempts each. In the second half, the Lions tried to make their break, but goaltender Corina Bellermann ’30 smothered their attempts. In the final half hour, Caroline Coletti ’28 and Pedersen each had strong looks for another goal, though neither one crossed the goal line, and the final score remained 1-0 for the Mammoths.

On Saturday, the Mammoths battled No. 3-ranked Tufts in a heated match before ultimately falling 3-1 to the Jumbos. Bellermann kept Amherst close, recording nine saves, but the undefeated Jumbos kept the pressure high with 23 shots. Tufts opened the scoring in the seventh minute off a corner kick, yet Amherst took only four minutes to respond when Pedersen set up Jessica Lomo ’27 to equalize the game in the 11th minute. The Jumbos then turned up the heat, launching a series of shots that Bellermann deflected until they finally broke through 26 minutes later to bring the score to 2-1. Bellermann had another stop 10 minutes later, and Allison Hayes ’29 attempted one more shot for the Mammoths before the half. Early in the second half, Tufts extended their lead to 3-1. Amherst did not stop fighting, with shots from Aubrielle Amaral ’30, Abigail Danso ’28, and Pedersen in the final 25 minutes. On the other end of the field, Bellermann kept up the fight by preventing three more shots from the Jumbos to maintain the two-goal deficit. Overall, seven different Mammoths registered shots on target, though Tufts held a 23-9 advantage in total shots and a 12-7 edge in shots on goal. 

The Mammoths’ record is now 4-5 overall and 0-5 in NESCAC play. For their next game, they will travel to face Hamilton on Saturday, Oct. 10. 

Field Hockey

This Saturday, field hockey faced No. 1-ranked Tufts in a heated match at home, ultimately falling short of the Jumbos, 2-1. 

The Mammoths were aggressive off the bat, with Genevieve Caruso ’27 firing a shot just 53 seconds into the game. Yet, the attempt was saved by Tufts’ goalie, and the first quarter ended without either team getting on the board. The Jumbos came out swinging in the second quarter, with three shots that forced Amherst goalie Grace Puchalski ’27 into action. Despite a strong defensive effort from the Mammoths, Tufts scored their first point 10 minutes into the second quarter. In the third quarter, the Jumbos were able to put another point on the board, leaving Amherst down two going into the final quarter of the game. Yet, the Mammoths did not retreat, with Emily Huehn ’28 shooting a promising shot just three minutes into the quarter that Tufts narrowly blocked. Finally, Emma Zhang ’29 gained momentum with her possession, passing to Cate LaFreniere ’30, who sent the ball past the Tufts goalie, giving the Mammoths their first and only goal of the game. The goal was LaFreniere’s first collegiate score. 

The team’s record is now 5-2. The Mammoths will return home on Wednesday to face Western New England University.  

Football

This past Saturday, the football team took on its third opponent, Bowdoin, and left Lehrman Stadium victorious once again, beating the Polar Bears 22-13. 

It was a come-from-behind win, after an interception and recovered fumble put Bowdoin up 10-0 early. The story of the day for Amherst was the absence of last week’s NESCAC Player of the Week, starting quarterback Marek Hill ’28, who was out with a knee injury. Instead, it was sophomore Colin Livatino ’29 at the helm for the Mammoths, and after a slow start, he was determined to lead his team back into the conversation. Amherst began to build back momentum after a perfect, 39-yard punt by Efe Ilgar ’29 gave Bowdoin the ball on their own five-yard line. The first snap Bowdoin took was immediately blitzed, forcing a fumble, which Bowdoin recovered, but not in time to thwart Josh Kuczynski ’28 from taking down the receiver in his own endzone for a safety. The Mammoths immediately went back on the attack, with Livatino connecting with Max Alexander ’29, Jadon Davis ’29, and eventually an open Jack Berger ’29 in the back of the end zone. After the extra point was secured by Hudson Fulcher-Melendy ’28, the Mammoths’ fight put them within one at a score of 10-9. It was Amherst who struck first to begin the second quarter, following a mellow first few minutes on both ends. Another nice drive, led by Livatino, saw receptions by Alexander, Matt Diaz ’27, and Kash Kelly ’30 with a few nice rushing attempts from Michael Dunmore ’29 mixed in. Livatino eventually connected with Davis for a score, this time for a 19-yard completion that added another six to Amherst’s tally. A failed two-point conversion left the score at 15-10 in favor of Amherst. Bowdoin found some momentum in their last drive of the half, but a huge 15-yard sack from Jackson Duncan ’27 allowed them only a field goal, settling the score at 15-13 heading into the back half of play. 

Bowdoin received the second-half kickoff, but a stellar defensive effort, in both pass rushing from Carson Skotak ’27 and zone coverage from Jordan Summers ’29, forced the Polar Bears to attempt a 53-yard field goal, which came up short. Back on the attack, Amherst put the Bowdoin defense on its heels. Zachary Curtain ’28 sliced directly through the center of Bowdoin’s coverage, gaining 18 yards for a first down at the 50. It was then Livatino who found yardage, rushing for eight yards and drawing a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty off a dirty hit after the play. Demitrius Smith ’27 then punctuated the drive, meeting the back of the endzone. Fulcher-Melendy then put Amherst up an additional seven, totaling 22-13. The last quarter of play saw no scoring from either team, with back-and-forth efforts from each defensive unit. The last three minutes consisted of two strong Bowdoin efforts, both of which were stifled by the Amherst defensive unit. Pressure from Summers, Ty Kazinowski ’27, and Davis Crandall ’29 caused back-to-back turnovers on downs, sealing the win for the Mammoths after the second. Livatino played well after his rocky first quarter despite throwing two interceptions, ending the game passing for 105 yards, rushing for 20, and scoring two TDs. Defensively, sophomores Summers and Crandall led the charge alongside Noah Onkst ’28, recording nine, six, and seven tackles, respectively.

Amherst now improves to a remarkable 3-0 start, sitting atop the NESCAC with Trinity and Wesleyan. The Mammoths are set to host again this Saturday, Oct. 10, when they will take on the Middlebury Panthers. 

Head of the Herd - Colin Livatino ’29

Football improved to 3-0 this week, and they did so without their starting quarterback. With Hill out with an injury, Colin Livatino stepped up in his stead and delivered a composed, accurate performance to lift the Mammoths to victory in his collegiate debut. “I’ve been working so hard for this moment,” Livatino said, “it was awesome to play.” He noted that the Mammoths did not have to modify their approach offensively with him at the helm, crediting “the hard work all the quarterbacks put in this offseason” for how adaptable their scheme is. Completing 11 of 17 passes for 105 yards, 2 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns in a winning effort, Livatino’s strong debut earns him this week’s Head of the Herd honors.