Football Foiled by Ephs
Issue 8 for athletic events from November 3 - November 9
Football Foiled by EphsEntering the final game with a 7-0 record, the Jeffs hoped that this would be the year to redeem themselves against Williams at the Amherst Homecoming. The Ephs brought a 5-2 record into Amherst and helped put on an exciting show for football fans watching on NESN. After recovering an Amherst fumble on the opening kickoff, Williams nabbed a early 6-0 lead. But Amherst's talented offense responded with a 90-yard drive and an 11-yard run by quarterback Rich Willard '98 (Johnstown, NY) to claim their first lead at 7-6 at the end of the first quarter. This is the first lead that the Jeffs have posted against the Ephs in the '90s.
Williams fought back with a determined drive on their next possession until cornerback Peter Reidenbach '97 (Orinda, CA) intercepted the Eph pass. The Jeffs responded with a drive from the Amherst 35, but fell just shy of a second touchdown in the first half when Graham McPhail intercepted a 22-yard Willard pass in the endzone.
Amherst took a 10-6 lead into the second half after a David Bobruff '97 (West Newton, MA) field goal at the close of the first. But the Ephs again mustered a score on Peter Supino's second touchdown pass of the day. Even though sophomore Jamie Deluca (Rochester, NY) blocked the PAT, Homecoming crowd trailed by an edgy 12-10 margin.
But what would television be without drama? Bobruff hit a 29-yard field goal after missing a sketchy 38-yarder for a 13-12 Jeff lead. Alums watched tensely as the Jeffs held onto a precarious fourth quarter lead and figured that a punt to the Amherst 2 would hold off the Ephs for the last five-and-a-half minutes of the game. Wrong.
Williams fullback Mike McAdam had only eight carries for 18 yards all day, but he had the most critical ones of the day. With a 98-yard drive, he ran a 2-yarder into the endzone with 36 seconds left to put the Ephs up 19-13. Amherst called a quick timeout to regroup and plan the Willard air-attack. Chris Miller '97 (Peabody, MA) pushed the Jeffs toward midfield with a 27-yard catch, but the second-best defense in the NESCAC managed to suppress the league's best offense in the closing seconds to hand Amherst their tenth consecutive loss to the Ephs.
"It was a difficult game for everyone," noted Head Coach Jack Siedlecki, "losing an undefeated season with the last game to Williams. But it was a great football game and great games come down to great plays. That 98-yard drive, they did what they had do to win the big game."
While the Jeffs barely missed out on a perfect season, a 7-1 record bodes well for the future. Throughout the year, Amherst has consistently ranked as the statistical leader in points scored, offensive yards and both yards and points allowed. If the NESCAC kept standings among its ten teams, Amherst would have won the league title, a finish inconceivable to Jeffs fans as recently as two years ago. While a last-minute loss to Williams is hard to swallow after the success of the first seven games, the talent returning with the experience of the underclassmen bodes well for future years as part of the upper echelons of NESCAC football.
Saturday, November 9, 1996 at Pratt Field, Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst (7-1) 7 3 3 0 -- 13 Williams (6-2) 6 0 6 7 -- 19First Quarter 13:34 W Matt Sigrist 24 from Peter Supino (Sam Landis kick failed) 5:26 A Rich Willard 11 run (David Bobruff kick) Second Quarter 0:34 A Bobruff 22 field goal Third Quarter 9:38 W Mark Kossick 26 from Peter Supino (Landis kick blocked) Fourth Quarter 11:48 A Bobruff 29 field goal 0:40 W Mike McAdam 2 run (Landis kick) Attendance: 12,449
Amherst Williams First downs 20 18 Rushes-yards 36-187 52-110 Passing yards 212 206 Att-Comp-Int 23-13-1 32-15-1 Sacks by-yards 0-0 2-14 Punts-yards 6-17 2-8 Fumbles-lost 4-1 2-1 Penalties-yards 2-15 6-50 Time of possession 33:04 26:56
Individual Statistics Rushing: A Josh Mason 36-145, Bob DiSabato 9-43, Josh Carroll 3- -1, Rich Willard 3- -3, Chris Miller 1-3. W Kris Kahn 23-71, Mike McAdam 8-18, Mark Kossick 2-7, Brandon Davidson 1-6, Peter Supino 1-4, Craig MacDonald 1-4. Passing: A Rich Willard 23-13-1 212 yards, W Peter Supino 32-15-1 206 yards. Receiving: A Chris Miller 6-85, Matt Murray 4-63, Shaun Quigley 2-33, Mike Brendler 1-31. W Matt Sigrist 7-126, Mark Kossick 6-66, Kris Kahn 1-11, Mike Paolercio 1-3.
1996 Season Notes
Men's Soccer Falls to EphsWith the end of the season, the Class of '97 concludes their collegiate soccer careers with a 6-7-1 record. This group of eight players entered Amherst after a miserable 1-11-2 season to turn the program into an NCAA contender their freshman and junior years.
No. Player GS* Goals Assists Points 9 Rejji Hayes '97 12 4 1 9 4 Timothy Christian '98 12 3 3 9 12 Matthew Diggs '99 5 3 1 7 7 Stephen Carr '97 11 3 0 6 6 Christopher Murphy '97 12 2 2 6 11 Mario Watts '97 9 1 3 5 5 Devin Talbott '98 1 2 0 4 18 Michael Sullivan '98 6 2 0 4 19 Kent Berg '99 0 1 1 3 22 Gary Kegel '00 2 1 1 3 3 Steven Mattheos '97 7 1 0 2 20 Brian Angelini '99 11 0 2 2 2 Benjamin Haley '99 2 0 1 1 21 Andrew Kay '00 3 0 1 1 Amherst Totals 14 22 16 60 Opponent Totals 14 19 13 51Goalkeeping GP/GS Shots Vs* Saves* Save %* GA GAA SOs G Kevin Larner 14/14 137 81 81.0% 19 1.19 5 Amherst Totals 14 137 81 81.0% 19 1.19 5 Opponent Totals 14 204 111 83.5% 22 1.32 3 *Does not include Macalester and St. Thomas games
Season Record: 6-7-1 Last Week: Williams, L 0-1
Women's Soccer Advances to Final FourThe Jeffs posted a 1-0 win over Bates in the regional final on a late-game Laura Kochansky '98 (Newton, MA) goal. Kochansky also assisted the equalizing goal in a Sweet Sixteen matchup with Richard Stockton. The Ospreys had taken a 1-0 lead with less than ten minutes to play when Kochansky fed Katie Connelly '00 (East Granby, CT) for her seventh goal of the season. Connelly then teamed up with fellow rookie Genevieve Furst '00 (Deephaven, MN) in overtime to exact payback for last year's ousting.
Amherst hosts Championship weekend, featuring two former national champions and a first-timer. The Jeffs kick of Final Four play against defending champ University of California, San Diego at 11:00am before the 1:30pm faceoff between the University of Chicago and the College of New Jersey, a two-time, back-to-back winner under the former name of Trenton State. The Lions' last title came in 1994 after defeating Amherst 1-0 on a late-game goal in the second round. The head coach of Chicago, Amy Howley Reifert, is an Amherst alum ('86) and played under Head Coach Michelle Morgan.
No. Player GP/GS Shots Goals Assists Points 9 Shaunette Richards '98 16/16 38 7 4 18 15 Kathryn Hersey '99 16/16 45 6 5 17 8 Katherine Connelly '00 16/1 23 7 1 15 27 Laura Kochansky '98 14/14 20 4 1 9 19 Kerry Weeks '98 9/0 5 3 0 6 4 Genevieve Furst '00 14/1 10 2 1 5 10 Jennifer Havlik '00 10/2 4 2 0 4 12 Janinne Noel '99 16/16 13 2 0 4 16 Arianne Sperry '00 7/0 7 1 1 3 18 Erika Johnson '98 15/13 15 1 1 3 6 Lesley Greene '00 16/5 17 0 3 3 5 Kathleen Missett '99 16/16 21 0 2 2 20 Eliza Meade '99 16/16 17 0 2 2 3 Alison Segal '97 15/14 5 0 1 1 14 Eleanor Hickerson '98 14/14 7 0 1 1 24 Rachel Bernstein '00 1/0 0 0 1 1 Amherst Totals 16 262 35 25 95 Opponent Totals 16 148 6 1 13Goalkeeping GP/GS Saves Save % GA GAA SOs G Sarah Fabian 16/16 89 93.7% 6 0.38 10 G Katie Connelly 2/0 2 100.0% 0 0.00 0 G Carolina Patino 2/0 0 Ñ.- % 0 0.00 0 Amherst Totals 16 91 93.8% 6 0.38 10 Opponent Totals 16 147 80.8% 35 2.19 3
Current Record: 12-1-3 Last Week: Richard Stockton, W 2-1 OT NCAA Sweet Sixteen Bates, W 1-0 NCAA Elite Eight This Week: NCAA Championship at Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts Sat 11/16 UC San Diego NCAA Final Four Sat 11/17 (if win on Sat) Championship Game
Field Hockey Plays First Round of NCAAs Amherst finished the season with a 12-3 record, their best in recent memory. Jess Rich '99 (Stillwater, NY) finished the season with nine shutouts to better her career total to 14 in just two years. With a Little III title to their name and team dominated by underclassmen, next season looks promising for the Jeffs.
No. Player GP/GS Shots(in/out)*Goals Assists Points 12 Sandra Accordino '99 15/15 22/4 8 1 17 14 Tyra Gettleman '00 15/15 45/7 4 2 10 22 Marnie Huffman-Green '99 15/15 63/26 2 5 9 11 Alie Stechenberg '00 15/9 21/3 4 0 8 4 Irene Permut '99 15/15 21/24 1 2 4 6 Laura McAloon '97 13/13 0/2 0 1 1 7 Lizzy Hoke '00 1/0 0/0 0 1 1 21 Rebecca Levin '99 14/9 13/1 0 1 1 Amherst Totals 15 175/77 19 13 51 Opponent Totals 15 108/42 10 3 23Goalkeeping GP/GS Saves Save % PC GA GAA SOs 99 Jessica Rich '99 14/14 104 91.2% 99 10 0.71 9 34 Courtney Munch '97 1/1 0 Ñ.- % 0 0 0.00 1 Amherst Totals 15 104 91.2% 99 10 0.66 10 Opponent Totals 15 109 85.2% 129 19 1.27 3 *Does not include William Smith game
Season Record: 12-3 Last Week: William Smith, L 3-4 NCAA First Round
Women's Volleyball Qualifies for ECACsThe Jeffs claimed a fourth place finish as the third seed in the tournament. Liz Delsman '98 (Brooklyn, NY) was named to the All-Tournament team while Co-Captain Laura Becvar '97 (El Paso, TX) and Kristin Edgar '99 (Colorado Springs, CO) earned second team All-Conference honors.
Current Record: 23-13 Last Week: NESCAC Championships Middlebury, W 3-0 Williams, L 0-3 Hamilton, W 2-3 Next Week: ECAC Tournament Fri 11/15 SUNY-Binghamton 6:00pm Sat 11/16 (Eastern Nazarene/Williams) 1:00pm Sat 11/16 (Wellesley/MIT/Smith/Hamilton) 5:00pm
Cross Country Competes at Regionals Men's Results (5.0 miles) Women's Results (3.1 miles) 10. Rob Mitchell '99, 26:23 19. Amanda Weiss '97, 19:39 21. Dan Chandler '99, 26:52 30. Thane Hancock '97, 27:06 33. Jon Prokup '99, 27:10 55. Donald Baril '97 67. Allen Nunnally '99 105. Chris Thunen '99