Issue 2 for athletic events from September 15 - 21, 1997
E.J. Mills Earns First Head Coaching VictoryAmherst and Hamilton waged a battle of defensive attrition in the first quarter where both teams earned only three first downs in eight series. With 1:05 left in the quarter, Hamilton had gained only 16 yards of offense on four possessions when strong safety James DeLuca (Rochester, NY) intercepted a low Continental pass at the Hamilton 43 and returned it for the first Amherst score of the season.
The Jeffs maintained their defensive intensity into the next period where the Class of 2001 announced its impact on the program. Just 1:32 into the second quarter, cornerback Steve Yung (Oak Brook, IL) picked a second Hamilton pass and dodged a series of tackles down the left field line to the Hamilton 18 for a 20-yard field goal. Yung had started in place of the injured Peter McConville (Buffalo Grove, IL) along with fellow rookie Brian Daoust (Dover, MA) who registered six tackles (4 solo) in his starting debut. Classmates Matt Hall (Lincroft, NJ) and Liam Fleming (Braintree, MA) took charge of special teams as return specialist (3 punt returns for 16 yards) and kicker (5 PAT, 1 FG), respectively.
Amherst's offensive game clicked midway through the second as three-year starter Bob DiSabato (Westwood, MA) jumpstarted the Jeff running game. Earning a first down in Continental territory, the fullback set up a 43-yard lob to goal from Co-Captain Rich Willard (Johnstown, NY) to senior wideout Colin Barnacle (Denver, CO).
Defense again asserted itself 1:33 before the halftime whistle. Though Amherst did not recover the fumble forced by OLB Alex Tracy (North Easton, MA), the Jeffs blocked a Hamilton punt on the next play, where free safety Todd Nichols (Skaneateles, NY) registered a 16-yard return to the 4-yard line. DiSabato notched his first score of th season for a 24-0 halftime lead.
Seconds before the buzzer, Shaun Quigley (Chicopee, MA) caught a 37-yard pass within the Hamilton 5 and almost succeeded in crawling over the goal-line, but lost the fumble in the endzone. But the Jeffs rebounded with Barnacle's second TD of the day, a 42-yarder early in the third quarter. Quigley again came within inches of scoring in the fourth when a 51-yard throw landed him just out of bounds. Harold Henderson (Oakton, VA) and Jeff Coviello (Harrison, NY) led the ground game in the final period where Amherst gained 100 of its 192 rushing yards in over 10 minutes of possession time. Coviello rounded out Amherst scoring with a 6-yard run.
"One down, seven to go," commented Mills on the tough competition left before the end of the season. Key units for Amherst will be its tenacious defense, aggressive special teams, and a committee of versatile receivers and running backs. The Jeffs host Bowdoin College in their home opener this Saturday at Pratt Field.
Amherst at Hamilton, September 20, 1997 1 2 3 4 -- Final Amherst (1-0) 7 17 7 7 -- 38 Hamilton (0-1) 0 0 0 0 -- 0 First Quarter 1:05 A James DeLuca 43 interception return (Liam Fleming kick). Second Quarter 10:32 Fleming 20-yard field goal. 3:28 Rich Willard 43 pass to Colin Barnacle (Fleming kick). 1:33 Bob DiSabato 4 run (Fleming kick). Third Quarter 11:37 Willard 42 pass to Barnacle (Fleming kick). Fourth Quarter 8:04 Jeff Coviello 6 run (Fleming kick). Amherst Hamilton First Downs 13 8 Rushing-Yards 48-192 37-50 Att-Comp-Int. 22-8-1 23-10-2 Passing Yards 170 54 Punts-Yards 6-179 10-275 Penalties-Yards 10-78 2-20 Possession Time 31:05 28:55Rushing: A Bob DiSabato 16-80, Harold Henderson 4-32, Josh Carroll 5-32, Jeff Coviello 5-26, Angus Leary 3-19, Darin Byrne 12-17, Rich Willard 2-(-4), Mike Sweeney 1-(-10). H Karl Knight 8-31, Christopher Kelly 18-23, Nick Moore 3-4, Andrew Scanzillo 3-3, Robbie Peters 4-(-2), John Manley 1-(-9).
Amherst is coming off a 3-3 overtime tie of defending ECAC Champion Connecticut College. Andy Kay (North Easton, MA) led the offensive against the No. 8 ranked team in New England with the Lord Jeff hat trick, including an unassisted score with two minutes left in regulation to send the match into extra periods. The sophomore leads the team with five goals in four games. Four days prior to the Conn College meeting, sweeper Nate McDonald (Burnsville, MN) snuck behind the Brandeis defense for the lone goal of the game in a 1-0 upset of the No. 4 ranked Judges.
The loss dropped Amherst out of the national top-25, although the Jeffs received votes. Falling to No. 4 in the Metro region, Saturday pits Amherst against Bowdoin, the top team in New England. Both teams are perennial soccer rivals and regulars to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Amherst edged out the Polar Bears 1-0 in Brunswick, Maine.
Leading the Jeff attack is Tyra Gettleman (Orono, ME). Posting seven goals to date, the sophomore scored the go-ahead goala and the game-winner 2:35 into the second sudden death overtime against Connecticut College for the JeffsU fourth win of the season. Amherst has outshot opponents 158-25 while netminder Jes Rich (Stillwater, NY) continues to be steady in the cage with 16 career shutouts.
In their next match, even though Skidmore claimed two of three doubles matches, Nos. 2-5 singles registered wins via Neely Steinberg '99 (Concord, MA), Jamie Cohen '01 (Rye, NY), Sam Toerge '99 (Potomac, MD) and Patti Jo '01 (Greensberg, PA). Though leading the her match, Pastel defaulted with Amherst victory in hand.
Game Notes: Bowdoin (0-1) at Amherst (1-0)
Saturday, September 27, 1997 at Pratt Field, Amherst, Massachusetts
The Jeffs are off to their best start in four years under the renewed direction of Head Coach Peter Gooding and boast a No. 19 national ranking after four games. Claiming the No. 3 spot in New England, Amherst last boasted a 3-0-1 start was in 1993 when the Jeffs became the first team in Amherst history to qualify for NCAA play, advancing as far as the Sweet Sixteen of the Tournament.
Men's Soccer Still Untainted
No. Name G A P
11 Andrew Kay '00 5 0 10
4 Timothy Christian '98 2 0 4
7 Matthew Diggs '99 2 1 5
3 Nate McDonald '98 1 0 2
5 Brian Angelini '00E 0 2 2
9 Devin Talbott '98 0 1 1
10 Gary Kegal '00 0 1 1
12 Mike Grant '99 0 1 1
Amherst Totals 9 7 23
Opponent Totals 4 3 11
Goalkeeping W L T Min Svs GA Sv% GAA ShO
Kevin Larner '99 3 0 1 390 17 4 .810 0.923 2
Opponent Totals 0 3 1 390 25 9 .735 2.08 0
Current Record: 3-0-1
Last Week: at Brandeis, W 1-0
at Connecticut College, T 3-3 OT
This Week: Sat Sept 27 Bowdoin, 12:30pm
Coming off its finest season in the 20-year history of the program, Amherst womenUs soccer started the season with a No. 3 national ranking and tops in the Metro region. But a trip down Route 9, however, proved more difficult than expected when Smith posted a 1-0 overtime upset of the Jeffs. Amherst outshot the Pioneers 41-19, but the Smith keeper tallied 15 saves for the victory. However, Amherst rebounded with a 3-1 romp over Connecticut College featuring goals by Katie Hersey (Westford, MA), All-American Shaunette Richards (Mays Landing, NJ) and rookie Alexa Faigen (Lawrenceville, NJ).
Women's Soccer Shocked by Smith
No. Name G A P
15 Kathryn Hersey '99 2 1 5
8/1 Katie Connelly '00 1 0 2
9 Shaunette Richards '98 1 0 2
11 Alexa Faigen '01 1 0 2
14 Ellie Hickerson '98 0 2 2
27 Laura Kochansky '98 1 0 2
18 Erika Johnson '98 0 1 1
Amherst Totals 6 4 16
Opponent Totals 2 2 6
Goalkeeping W L T Min Svs GA Sv% GAA ShO
Sarah Fabian '98 2 1 0 300 20 2 .909 0.60 1
Opponent Totals 1 2 0 300 35 6 .854 1.80 1
Current Record: 2-1
Last Week: at Smith, L 0-1 OT
at Connecticut College, W 3-1
This Week: Tue Sept 23 at Clark, 7:00pm
Thu Sept 25 Colby-Sawyer, 4:00pm
Sat Sept 27 Bowdoin, 12:30pm
Amherst field hockey has turned up the offense in 1997 as they have scored 15 goals in four games. Last year, the Jeffs totaled 19 scores in 15 games, including an NCAA First Round Tournament matchup. Amherst is currently ranked No. 4 in the New England West Region and will face Bowdoin, the top-ranked team in New England East, this Saturday.
Field Hockey on Offensive Tear
No. Name G A P
2 Tyra Gettleman '00 7 0 14
3 Gretchen Bowe '01 3 1 7
12 Sandy Accordino '99 3 0 6
24 Heather Kestner '98 1 2 4
4 Irene Permut '99 0 3 3
20 Kristen Osborn '01 1 0 2
25 Risa Ravitz '00 1 0 2
25 Risa Ravitz '00 1 0 2
22 Marnie Huffman-Green '99 0 1 1
Amherst Totals 15 8 38
Opponent Totals 2 0 4
Goalkeeping W L T Min Svs PC GA Sv% GAA ShO
Jes Rich '99 4 0 0 298 12 14 2 .857 0.47 3
Amherst Totals 4 0 0 298 12 14 2 .857 0.47 3
Opponent Totals 0 4 0 298 58 64 15 .795 3.52 0
Current Record: 4-0
Last Week: Clark, W 3-0
at Connecticut College, W 3-2 2OT
This Week: Wed Sept 24 Wheaton, 4:00pm
Sat Sept 27 Bowdoin, 12:30pm
Amherst volleyball has dropped just eight games to opponents as the Firedogs boast a 7-2 record to date. The Firedogs posted a 2-1 weekend at the Williams Quad with 3-1 wins over tough SUNY-Binghamton and Skidmore teams, but a 3-2 loss to the Ephs.
Volleyball 2-1 for Week
Current Record: 7-2
Last Week: at Williams Quad (2-1)
SUNY-Binghamton, W 3-1
Williams, L 2-3
Skidmore, W 3-1
This Week: Tue Sept 23 at Westfield State, 7:30pm
Fri-Sat Sept 26-27 at MIT
Entering the season as the No. 7 team in the nation, womenUs tennis posts a 2-0 record to date and are within one set of 3-0. The Jeffs currently have a match suspended by darkness and tied with UMass 3-3 (Division I scoring). Carolyn Pastel '01 (Old Lyme, CT) has yet to finish out the match at No. 6 singles, tied one set a piece and Amherst leading in the third.
Women's Tennis Almost 3-0
Current Record: 2-0
Last Week: at UMass, 3-3 suspended because of darkness
at Skidmore, W 5-4
This Week: Sat Sept 27 Bowdoin, 10:00am
Sat Sept 27 Colby, 3:00pm
*note, the Tue Sept 23 match v. Tufts has been rescheduled for Monday, October 20