Football Rolls to Second Win with 46-0 Rout of Bowdoin
Issue 2 for athletic events from September 22 - September 28, 1996
Football Rolls to Second Win with 46-0 Rout of BowdoinBob DiSabato '99 (Westwood, MA) had three touchdowns to lead the Jeffs to a 46-0 shutout of the Bowdoin at Brunswick, Maine. Holding the Polar Bears to just 77 net yards all day, the Jeffs have a commanding lead of the NESCAC in number of offensive yards (902) and fewest yards (267) allowed after two games. Against Bowdoin alone, Amherst racked up 511 total yards, 315 of them in the air.
Starter Rich Willard '98 (Johnstown, NY) threw 15 completions for 200 yards playing just two-thirds of the game. Wide receiver Chris Miller '97 (Peabody, MA) already had 11 yards receiving and a 53-yard reverse pass to Matt Murray '97 (Westwood, MA) before he took over at QB, but with his second completion on the day, Miller threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Craig Bennett '97 (Peekskill, NY) in the fourth quarter.
With the work of these two quarterbacks, six receivers combined for 17 catches. Murray led the pack with 6 receptions for 94 yards, followed by Todd Haggerty '98 (Albany, NY) with 5 catches for 114 yards. Running back DiSabato got into the picture as well with his three receptions, including a safety to open up Amherst scoring in the first quarter.
In preserving the shutout, the defense worked especially hard to cause and recover three Bowdoin fumbles, intercept three Polar Bear passes and sack their quarterbacks five times for a loss of 46 yards. Devin Moriarty '98 (Monson, MA) was on the prowl for Polar Bears, registering three tackles (3 solo) and three sacks at the final buzzer. Among those tackles, two were for a loss of 3 yards, and his sacks alone cost Bowdoin 23 yards.
Just as in his rookie season, Jamie Deluca '99 (Rochester, NY) had an impact on the Bowdoin game. Last year, Deluca blocked two punts to set up the winning touchdown for Amherst. This year in a game not so close, he recovered a fumble that gained 24 yards for the Jeffs, plus ran for 36-yards after intercepting another Bowdoin pass. Also helping to contain the Bears were outside linebacker Ray Byrnes '97 (Yonkers, NY) with two sacks and cornerback Peter Reidenbach '97 (Orinda, CA) with seven solo tackles.
But probably the best thing about the Bowdoin game was not only that Amherst won, but that everyone played a part in this victory. Rookie Jarrad Zalkin '00 (New Hampton, NY) had two solo tackles and a fumble recovery as he played the bulk of his second-ever collegiate football game, while fellow freshman Harold Henderson (Oakton, VA) ran for 21 yards on five carries.
Most notably, however, was the 1-yard touchdown by senior Nik Bjorkedal '97 (Buffalo, MN). While he had stuck with the program for the last three years, Bjorkedal got little to no playing time, much less a chance to contribute statistically to the Jeffs. But things changed against Bowdoin, as he entered the game in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter and netted 26-yards on six carries.
The Jeffs are now 2-0 and looking forward to their upcoming game against Middlebury. Last year, Amherst defeated the Panthers 28-13, featuring four touchdowns by Tri-Captain Josh Mason '97 (Greenfield, MA). For his performance, the pre-season All-American won the Coca-Cola Gold Helmet Award.
While the Jeffs may still be without Mason this week because of a nagging injury, Head Coach Jack Siedlecki is increasingly optimistic about the season. "It's important for football teams to get better. We can't afford to take a step back. This week, we were better than we were last week [in a 17-6 win over Hamilton]. The keys are to make progress and stay healthy. We spread the ball out against Bowdoin and accomplished a lot of nice things. That means that it'll be tougher for the next opponent to prepare for us, since we're not one-dimensional.
Saturday, September 28, 1996 at Whittier Field, Brunswick, Maine
Amherst (2-0) 9-10-14-13 = 46
Bowdoin (0-2) 0-0-0-0 = 0
First Quarter
6:23 A Safety (illegal touching)
5:06 A Bob DiSabato 3-yard run (David Bobruff kick)
Second Quarter
9:28 A DiSabato 2-yard run (Bobruff kick)
0:13 A Bobruff 27-yard field goal
Third Quarter
13:42 A Shaun Quigley on 16-yard pass from Rich Willard (Bobruff kick)
4:14 A DiSabato 1-yard run (Bobruff kick)
Fourth Quarter
8:49 A Craig Bennett on 62-yard pass from Chris Miller (Bobruff kick blocked)
4:58 A Nik Bjorkedal 1-yard run (Bobruff kick)
Attendance: 2,146
Amherst Bowdoin
First Downs 18 / 8
Rushes-Yards 59-196 / 28-5
Passing Yards 315 / 72
Return Yards 189 / 131
Passes 17-31-0 / 9-30-3
Punts 4-129 / 7-250
Fumbles Lost 3-1 / 3-3
Penalties-Yards 9-95 4-26
Individual Statistics
Rushing: A Darin Byrne 11-91, Bob DiSabato 19-50, Jeff Coviello 7-33, Nik Bjorkedal 6-26, Harold Henderson 5-21, Rich Willard 7-8, Josh Carroll 2-2, Chris Miller 2-1.
B Nat Wysor 9-25, Adam Taylor 4-17, Justin Eldridge 4-14, Steve Kerrisey 1-4, Chris Houston 3-0, Wes Breton 1- -11, John Wihbey 6- -44.
Passing: A Rich Willard 15-26-0 200 yards, Chris Miller 2-5-0 115 yards.
B John Wihbey 8-19-2 61 yards, Hayes MacArthur 1-10-1 11 yards, Wes Breton 0-1-0 0 yards.
Receiving: A Matt Murray 6-94, Todd Haggerty 5-114, Bob DiSabato 3-24, Chris Miller 1-11, Craig Bennett 1-62, Shaun Quigley 1-16.
B Tony Teixeira 3-25, John Paquet 2-19, Steve LaFond 1-11, Steve Prinn 1-11, Nat Wysor 1-5, Adam Taylor 1-0.
Game Notes: Amherst (2-0) at Middlebury (2-0) Next Week
While the Jeffs haunted keeper Tom Casarella with 17 shots on goal, one too few connected with the net as Amherst came home from Maine with their first loss of the season. The Jeffs are now 2-1-1, but ranked No. 8 in the NSCAA/Umbro New England Division III Poll.
The matchup with the Polar Bears was another physical contest, as refs called 33 fouls, including three yellow cards. Amidst the confusion, Rejji Hayes '97 (Andover, MA) slotted in the Amherst goal just three minutes after Bowdoin's second. But time ran out for the Jeffs too soon, as they now look forward to their next matchup against Middlebury.
Last year, the Panthers slipped a single goal past Amherst to kick off mid-semester break with the Jeffs' first loss of the 1995 season. However, Amherst got revenge in the first round of the NCAA tournament, as the Jeffs won the penalty kick shootout, 3-0, to escape the 1-1 OT tie and advance to face Williams in the regional final.
No. Player Goals Assists Points
Amherst Totals 6 1 13
Goalkeeping GP/GS Saves Save % GA GAA SOs
The last time they met, it was in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament at Amherst College. Bowdoin would have hosted these regional finals, had they been more centrally located, but the Bears took another trip to Massachusetts, despite their regular season win over the Jeffs. Last weekend, Amherst ventured up to Maine to face the No. 1 team in New England.
For spectators watching the showdown, it was evident why these two teams were the perennial powerhouses of New England women's soccer. They traded trips down the field as the opposing defense would spoil approaches to the goal. But, just once, the Jeffs snuck by as Katie Hersey '99 (Westford, MA) sent a cross into the net. With this win, Amherst assumes the top spot on the NSCAA/Umbro New England Division III Poll.
The Jeffs prepared for Bowdoin with a midweek contest at Colby-Sawyer. For the first time all year, a goal eluded keeper Sarah Fabian '98 (Dalton, MA), as the Chargers took the lead in the first half, 1-0. Halftime was all the Jeffs needed to regroup and net two goals of their own by rookies Katie Connelly (East Granby, CT) and Jen Havlik (McLean, VA).
No. Player Goals Assists Points
Amherst Totals 10 6 26
Goalkeeping GP/GS Saves Save % GA GAA SOs
Current Record: 3-0-1
They've got the best record on campus right now at 5-0, and they're mostly sophomores and freshmen. But they're getting the job done, most recently with two wins over Wheaton and Bowdoin to maintain their undefeated status.
Goalie Jess Rich '99 (Stillwater, NY) extended her shutout record to nine after blanking Wheaton 2-0 with goals by Marnie Huffman-Green '99 (Chevy Chase, MD) and Alie Stechenberg '00 (Longmeadow, MA).
Huffman-Green teamed up with another rookie in Amherst's 2-1 win at Bowdoin. The Bears had slipped a ball past Rich midway through the first half to tie the score at 1-1. Last year the Bears had snuck by the Jeffs in the semifinals of the ECAC Tournament with a 2-1 win in overtime, but Tyra Gettleman '00 (Orono, ME) couldn't leave her home state with anything less than a win. With 28 minutes to play, she took matters into her own hands and scored her first collegiate goal for the game winner.
No. Player Goals Assists Points
Amherst Totals 9 6 24
Goalkeeping GP/GS Saves Save % PC GA GAA SOs
Current Record: 5-0
Men's Soccer Drops First Loss to Bowdoin
4 Timothy Christian '98 1 0 2
5 Devin Talbott '98 1 0 2
6 Christopher Murphy '97 2 0 4
9 Rejji Hayes '97 1 0 2
11 Mario Watts '97 1 0 2
21 Andrew Kay '00 0 1 1
Opponent Totals 4 3 11
G Kevin Larner 4/4 27 87.1% 4 1.00 2
Opponent Totals 4 44 88.0% 6 1.50 0
Women's Soccer Upsets No. 1 to Claim Spot for Jeffs
4 Genevieve Furst '00 0 1 1
5 Kathleen Missett '99 0 1 1
8 Katherine Connelly '00 2 0 4
9 Shaunette Richards '98 1 1 3
10 Jennifer Havlik '00 1 0 2
12 Janinne Noel '99 1 0 2
14 Eleanor Hickerson '98 0 1 1
15 Kathryn Hersey '99 3 1 7
16 Arianne Sperry '00 1 0 2
27 Laura Kochansky '98 1 1 3
Opponent Totals 1 0 2
G Sarah Fabian 5/5 30 96.8% 1 0.20 4
Opponent Totals 5 49 83.1% 10 2.00 1
Field Hockey Rolls to 5-0
4 Irene Permut '99 1 1 3
11 Alie Stechenberg '00 2 0 4
12 Sandra Accordino '99 3 1 7
14 Tyra Gettleman '00 1 1 3
21 Rebecca Levin '99 0 1 1
22 Marnie Huffman-Green '99 2 2 6
Opponent Totals 1 0 2
99 Jessica Rich '99 5/5 29 96.7% 29 1 0.20 4
Opponent Totals 5 55 85.9% 57 9 1.8 0