The Eighth-Seeded Mammoths Tear Through NESCACs in Style

Amherst men’s soccer barely made the NESCAC playoffs this season, a position this team has not been found in for a while. After three years of dominance from 2022 to 2024 — a streak that included the 2024 NCAA Division III Championship — the Mammoths began this year slowly, sleepwalking to 2-3-2 at the regular season’s midpoint. But the talented squad improved their form down the stretch, ending the season on a seven game undefeated streak and squeaking into the NESCAC playoffs as the last team in the field. 

Their reward? The top-ranked team in the country waiting for them in the first round. Amherst squared off against the Middlebury Panthers in Vermont, facing the No. 1 seed in their quarterfinal matchup and coming out on top. In an electrifying victory, the Mammoths upset the Panthers 3-2 in style – with Finn Hoefer ’29 scoring the game winner in the 67th minute with his second goal of the day. Despite the chasm separating these teams’ seeds, on the field it was clear that these squads were evenly matched on talent. “We had confidence that we were a great team,” Hoefer noted. “We were excited – playing the one seed as it was the best way to prove it.”  

A week after their resounding victory, the Mammoths traveled an hour west to Williamstown with hopes of keeping their rapturous momentum rolling in a semi-final edition of the classic Amherst-Williams rivalry.

The Mammoths had lost to the Ephs in the regular season, dropping a tight contest 1-0. Thus, walking onto the field in hostile territory Saturday, the Mammoths were not only vying for a spot in the NESCAC championship against a sworn adversary, but were also out for revenge. 

The Ephs pressured Amherst’s defense early, but goalkeeper Trey Sheppard ’28 remained steady in net — saving two shots from Williams in the 14th minute to keep the match scoreless. His saves marked a turning point for Amherst, giving the Mammoths the confidence and momentum they needed to take control of the game. 

Just seven minutes later, Mohammed Nuhu ’26 set up Hoefer who converted at the 21 minute mark, putting the Mammoths ahead 1-0. Before Williams could regroup, Amherst struck again. Just 45 seconds after his opening goal, Hoefer connected with Obed Opoku ’28 who made it a 2-0 game. In less than a minute, the Mammoths had turned a scoreless game into a sizable advantage. Sheppard thwarted the rest of Williams’ scoring attempts in the half, maintaining the Amherst lead into the break.

However, a rejuvenated Ephs squad flew out of intermission and found the net early in the second half — at the 49 minute mark — to shrink Amherst’s lead to 2-1. The momentum squarely behind the Ephs, Williams took a blistering number of shots in the remainder of the half, firing 15 attempts at the Amherst frame. Sheppard made eight saves in the second half, including an incredible double reaction save where he denied three Williams attempts in a 10 second span. Despite his heroism, the Ephs’ pressure eventually broke through, and they found the equalizer in the 85th minute, sending the semifinal to overtime. 

Neither team scored in the first 10-minute overtime, nor the second. Sheppard continued to parry Williams attempts, while the Mammoths peppered the Williams goal late in the second extra period, though to no avail. After 110 minutes of furiously intense play, neither rival had managed to pull ahead. The match was to be decided by penalty kicks. 

Every kick now could decide whether or not Amherst would be advancing to the championship; pressure rattled through the air. Hoefer took his penalty first, followed by Vincent Akanbo ’29, Jacob Lahlou ’28, and Nuhu. All four converted their attempts, keeping the Mammoths in front. Penalty kick specialist Spencer Kreitzer ’29 substituted in goal for Sheppard — who had delivered all game. “As a goalkeeper, the pressure simply isn’t on us [during penalties],” Kreitzer explained. “It’s a game of how much confidence you are able to exude to your opponent, and I made sure each kicker felt it!” Kreitzer saved Williams’ second shot, and the Mammoths secured their place in the NESCAC championship when Jacob Dinzeo ’28 made Amherst’s fifth and final kick, pouring onto the field and piling atop Dinzeo in euphoric celebrations. 

The very next day, the Mammoths retook the field– this time facing the tournament’s fifth seed, Tufts, in the Championship Game. In the regular season, the teams had battled to a 3-3 draw, the stage set for a thrillingly competitive championship.

Amherst dominated possession through the first 45 minutes of the final, creating several opportunities to take the lead. In the game’s first minute, Opoku fired a strong shot on goal that elicited a save by Tuft’s goalkeeper. Dinzeo followed this up with three shots of his own in the 15th, 27th, and 39th minutes, though all were also snuffed out. Despite these repeated threats in Tufts’ defensive third, the Mammoths could not find their breakthrough. 

Defensively, Sheppard and the Amherst back line kept the Jumbos quiet in the first half. Tufts only managed one shot on goal, which Sheppard corralled for the save. By halftime, Amherst had outshot Tufts 12-1 — but had nothing on the scoreboard to show for it.

The second half was a frustrating one for Amherst. In the 54th minute, Tufts sailed a shot just wide, but just 20 seconds later, the Jumbos found their opportunity off a corner kick and scored for a 1-0 lead. Amherst scraped and clawed for an equalizer the remainder of the game, but could not find one. With seconds remaining in the game, Nohu sent a corner kick into a dangerous area, but his delivery passed through the box harmlessly, bounding towards the far corner flag as time expired. Tufts had held on, winning the game 1-0 and claiming the 2026 NESCAC Championship.