Weekly SportsWrap 11/2/96

Amherst College Fall '96 Weekly Sports Wrap-up

Issue 7 for athletic events from October 27 - November 2

Football Seeks Perfect Season

Lord Jeff football is on a roll in 1996. Under the auspices of New York Giants owner George Young, Amherst faced Trinity in a battle of the unbeatens at the Bantam homecoming. With an emotionally charged win in Hartford, 7-0 Amherst is looking for its first undefeated season since 1984 in their season finale against archrival Williams this weekend. NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week Rich Willard '98 (Johnstown, NY) threw for a career high 349 yards to spark the Amherst offense. His touchdown passes were only three of seven tosses in excess of 20 yards, including three 50+ throws. In the first half alone, Willard registered 257 yards on ten completions and was named to the ECAC Honor Roll for yet another outstanding performance.

"Trinity plays a high pressure, blitzing defense," observed Head Coach Jack Siedlecki, "and we knew that we had to protect Rich well. We practiced the one-back all week with four receivers. It was a helluva gamble, but I guess it paid off." Chris Miller '97 (Peabody, MA) led all receivers with four catches for 160 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Trinity had scored on their first possession to take a 7-0 lead, and Amherst responded with a 1-yard run on the first Jeff possession for Bob DiSabato's (Westwood, MA) seventh touchdown of his sophomore season. But the Bantams batted down the extra point attempt to maintain a 7-6 advantage before two unanswered touchdowns gave the Jeffs an 18-7 halftime lead.

As the top-rated defense in the NESCAC, Amherst stopped the Trinity rushing attack that had been the Bantam's biggest weapon in their first six games. The Jeffs held Ray Jones to under 100 yards for the first time in five games. Jones had been averaging 148 yards per game.

Todd Nichols '99 (Skaneateles, NY) picked off three Joe Mullaney passes, including a 15-yarder in the endzone. He has five interceptions to his credit this season, including a 39-yard return to goal against Colby three weeks ago. Nichols's 14 tackles (seven solo), pass break up and forced fumble merited him honors as not only the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week, but also as the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week. While Trinity gained the most yards of any team this season with 303, the Jeffs denied Mullaney the option and contained Trinity's fast-paced sideline game.

This 24-7 victory gives Amherst its first win against the Bantams in eight years. "Coming into the game," noted Siedlecki, "I knew we could win, but I wondered if the kids really believed that we could against a team that's beaten up on us for so many years." In addition to handing Trinity their first loss of the season, the Jeffs snapped a twelve game Bantam win streak.

This weekend, Amherst faces archrival Williams for the Little III title in a Homecoming matchup. "There's something about the Williams game that has something that the other seven don't have," commented senior wide receiver Mike Brendler (Swarthmore, PA). "Both teams recognize that and it pushes us to the next level."

The Jeffs haven't defeated the Ephs since 1986, the last time Amherst won the Little III title. While the two teams tied 0-0 in Wiliamstown last year, Williams entered the eighth game of 1995 with a 7-0 record, and Amherst stood at 5-2. This is the exact opposite of results thus far this season.

"We're 7-0 and there's a lot that goes along with that," Siedlecki told his players after the Trinity victory. "You can look at it in two ways. You can put pressure on yourself, or you can use it as an opportunity. Play the game for itself like you did today, don't play it for the final score. If you play it for yourselves, you'll roll them off the field next week."

Saturday, November 2, 1996 at Dan Jessee Field, Hartford, Connecticut Amherst (7-0) 12 6 0 6 -- 24 Trinity (6-1) 7 0 0 0 -- 7

First Quarter 10:41 T Joe Mullaney 1 run (Mullaney kick) 8:46 A Bob DiSabato 1 run (David Bobruff kick blocked) 0:56 A Matt Murray 23 pass from Rich Willard (Bobruff kick wide) Second Quarter 14:07 A Shaun Quigley 23 pass from Willard (Willard pass incomplete) Fourth Quarter 12:52 A Chris Miller 60 pass from Willard (Willard pass incomplete) Attendance: 8,942

Amherst Trinity First downs 15 12 Rushes-yards 46-130 51-211 Passing yards 349 92 Att-Comp-Int 25-13-1 22-8-3 Sacks by-yards 2-11 4-17 Punts-yards 5-154 8-296 Fumbles-lost 1-1 2-1 Penalties-yards 4-45 8-78 Time of possession 29:58 30:02

Individual Statistics Rushing: A Josh Carroll 16-100, Josh Mason 12-42, Rich Willard 8 -29, Bob DiSabato 6-19, Darin Byrne 4 -2. T Ray Jones 23-79, Joe Mullaney 13-8, Greg Gagne 12-112, Brian Byrne 3-12. Passing: A Rich Willard 25-13-1 349 yards, T Joe Mullaney 22-8-3 92 yards. Receiving: A Chris Miller 4-160, Mike Brendler 4-92, Matt Murray 4-74, Shaun Quigley 1-23. T Ray Jones 5-50, Scott Andrews 2-28, Adrian Softic 1-14.

Game Notes: Williams (5-2) at Amherst (7-0)
Saturday, November 9, 1996 at Pratt Field, Amherst, Massachusetts

This is the 111th meeting of the oldest Division III rivalry, begun with a 15-2 Williams win in 1884. Williams leads the series 60-45-5. The winner of the "Biggest Little Game in America" with take home the Little III Title, claimed each year through competition among Amherst, Wesleyan and Williams. Williams has claimed 38 Little III titles, while Amherst has 26 to the Jeffs' credit.
The two teams boast the best defenses in the NESCAC, allowing opponents the fewest points and yards in seven games. Williams has given up 1,700 yards and 63 points, while league-leading Amherst has been rock-solid, allowing only 48 points from 1,337 yards. The Jeffs have tripled and doubled those respective numbers offensively, scoring 187 points off of 2,965 yards as top-rated offense in the NESCAC.
Both teams are ranked according to the ECAC Division III New England Poll. Amherst holds steady at No. 2 with four first place votes while Williams rises to No. 6 from the No. 8 spot last week after a loss to Hamilton The Jeffs have also garnered seven first place votes in the Lambert/Meadowlands Awards Poll.
Each team features two Pre-Season All-Americans in its line-up. Williams left tackle Eric Kelley will block for running back Mark Kossick, while Amherst's Alex Bernstein '97 (Edina, MN) will help contain Eph offenses at defensive tackle. Josh Mason '97 (Greenfield, MA) returns at tailback after missing last year's game with a broken leg.
While Amherst rolled to a 24-7 win at Trinity last week, Williams struggled against Little III foe Wesleyan in Williamstown. The Cardinals drove the length of the field twice in the closing minutes of the game, scoring with 2:57 left to bring Wesleyan within one point of victory. But the Ephs held onto a 13-12 lead when an 80-yard Wesleyan drive culminated in a missed field goal with 0.07 left.
The matchup will be televised live on the New England Sports Network (NESN) as the eighth of nine ECAC Chevy Dealer of New England Games of the Week. Beginning at noon this Saturday, Tom Larson will announce the game, while Amherst alum and former NFL-All Star Jean Fugett '72 will provide color commentary. The game will also be shown in tape-delay the following week on Sunday at 7:30pm.
Last year, Williams entered the season finale with a 7-0 record before 5-2 Amherst tainted their perfect season with a 0-0 tie on ESPN2. This outcome broke a 21 game win-streak for the Ephs that was then refashioned as a 22 game streak without a loss. The tie was the best showing by the Jeffs against Williams since their last victory in 1986.
This year, the records are reversed, as Amherst goes for its sixth ever perfect season and Williams is struggling with two losses. Amherst has posted an 8-0 season as recently as 1984, in addition to 1964 and a 7-0 season in 1942. There are also two 1-0 years in the early history of Lord Jeff football in 1879 and the inaugural year of 1877.
Williams enters today's game with the game plan of 1973, 1972, 1961 and 1957: to spoil 8-0 for the Jeffs. In each of those seasons, Amherst rolled to seven wins before registering their only loss in the final game of the season. In each of the four games, the Ephs handily humbled the Jeffs.
After the Trinity victory, Head Coach Jack Siedlecki surveyed the season thus far: "Seniors, you have just one more payback left." Since Siedlecki took over the Amherst football program four years ago, the Class of '97 has seen the slow avenging of eight losses the team had registered in 1992. Defeating Hamilton, Bowdoin and Tufts that first year, the Jeffs added Bates, Middlebury and Wesleyan to the list in their sophomore season. This year, Amherst has ended an eight year domination by Colby in a 34-0 win and the seven-year reign of Trinity last week. In the NESCAC, the only school left to beat is Williams.
For the first time in ten years, Amherst enters the final game as the favored team with the better overall record. However, Siedlecki approaches the game differently: "I think this is a very even game. Williams is four points from being in the same position that we are. We've won a few close games like Middlebury and Wesleyan. Sometimes the difference between 7-0 and 5-2 is just a couple of bounces and some lucky breaks."
Big plays have put both teams in their current positions. The Ephs missed an extra-point attempt in a 14-13 loss to Trinity early in the season, while a Hamilton interception with 1:20 to play sealed a 16-13 victory over the Ephs. The Jeffs, however, have come out on the other side of tough situations: inside linebacker John Walsh '97 (Wellesley, MA) intercepted a Panther pass for a 17-10 win over Middlebury, while cornerback Peter Reidenbach '97 (Orinda, CA) snatched a Wesleyan pass in an 18-13 triumph.
This year's matchup falls on Amherst's Homecoming Weekend, which also coincides with the kickoff of The Amherst College Campaign with the goal of raising $200 million over the next five years. An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 alumni are expected back to the College on the Hill.

Men's Soccer Gears up for Williams

Posting a 4-0 win at home against Colby, the Jeffs have scored their highest number of goals in a single game all season and since a 4-2 defeat of Clark in September 1994. Mario Watts '97 (St. Catherine, Jamaica) had two assists early in the game to spark the Amherst offense which pounded the Mules with 32 shots. Tim Christian '98 (Agawam, MA) added a goal and an assist to his season totals as the team's second leading scorer. He has three of each for nine points behind four goals and an assist by Co-Captain Rejji Hayes '97 (Andover, MA).

The season finale for the Jeffs will be played on Saturday in a Homecoming matchup with archrival Williams. Last year the teams met twice. During the regular season, Amherst elevated their game to a muddy 1-1 overtime tie in Williamstown. They faced off again in the second round of the NCAA tournament, where the Jeffs folded 3-0 to the eventual national champion. While Amherst has posted several ties with the Ephs in the last ten years, they have not defeated Williams since 1982. That year the Jeffs compiled a 9-1-1 record as the ECAC Champions.

No. Player GS* Goals Assists Points 2 Benjamin Haley '99 2 0 1 1 3 Steven Mattheos '97 6 1 0 2 4 Timothy Christian '98 11 3 3 9 5 Devin Talbott '98 1 2 0 4 6 Christopher Murphy '97 11 2 2 6 7 Stephen Carr '97 10 3 0 6 9 Rejji Hayes '97 11 4 1 7 11 Mario Watts '97 8 1 3 5 12 Matthew Diggs '99 5 3 1 7 18 Michael Sullivan '98 6 2 0 2 19 Kent Berg '99 0 1 1 3 20 Brian Angelini '99 10 0 2 2 21 Andrew Kay '00 3 0 1 1 22 Gary Kegel '00 2 1 1 3 Amherst Totals 13 22 16 60 Opponent Totals 13 18 13 49

Goalkeeping GP/GS Shots Vs* Saves* Save %* GA GAA SOs G Kevin Larner 13/13 144 76 80.9% 18 1.38 5 Opponent Totals 13 192 106 82.8% 22 1.69 2 *Does not include Macalester and St. Thomas games

Current Record: 6-6-1 Last Week: Colby, W 4-0 This Week: Sat 11/9 Williams

Women's Soccer Earns Third Consecutive NCAA Berth

Earning a first round bye with their No. 2 seed, womenąs soccer prepares for its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Jeffs already have Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight finishes to their credit as they hope to continue the trend and advance past the regionals into the Final Four in '96.

Hosting the Northeast regional championships in 1995, Amherst avenged a regular season loss to Bowdoin with a 1-0 victory to set up an Elite Eight meeting with Richard Stockton. Battling to a 1-1 tie, Stockton prevailed 4-2 in penalty kicks. This Saturday at Williams, Amherst will face the winner of the first round Kean-Richard Stockton game. The Ephs will host the region as the No. 1 seed.

On their way to the tournament, the Jeffs posted a 2-1 win over No. 9 Colby in their regular season finale. Genevieve Furst '00 (Deephaven, MN) scored the game winner in Amherst's tenth win of the season. Keeper Sarah Fabian '98 (Dalton, MA) made 11 saves against the Mules to merit her NESCAC Player of the Week honors. Fabian has allowed only five goals all season with nine shutouts as she leads the league with a 93.9% save percentage.

No. Player GP/GS Shots Goals Assists Points 4 Genevieve Furst '00 12/1 7 1 1 3 5 Kathleen Missett '99 14/14 16 0 2 2 6 Lesley Greene '00 14/5 14 0 3 3 8 Katherine Connelly '00 14/1 20 6 0 12 9 Shaunette Richards '98 14/14 29 7 4 18 10 Jennifer Havlik '00 8/2 3 2 0 4 12 Janinne Noel '99 14/14 11 2 0 4 14 Eleanor Hickerson '98 12/12 7 0 1 1 15 Kathryn Hersey '99 14/14 40 6 5 17 16 Arianne Sperry '00 5/0 7 1 1 3 18 Erika Johnson '98 13/11 12 1 1 3 19 Kerry Weeks '98 7/0 4 3 0 6 20 Eliza Meade '99 14/14 13 0 2 2 24 Rachel Bernstein '00 1/0 0 0 1 1 27 Laura Kochansky '98 12/12 16 2 1 5 Amherst Totals 14 218 32 22 86 Opponent Totals 14 124 5 1 11

Goalkeeping GP/GS Saves Save % GA GAA SOs G Sarah Fabian 14/14 77 93.9% 5 0.36 9 G Katie Connelly 2/0 2 100.0% 0 0.00 0 G Carolina Patino 2/0 0 ‹.- % 0 0.00 0 Amherst Totals 14 77 93.9% 5 0.36 9 Opponent Totals 14 130 80.2% 32 2.29 3

Current Record: 10-1-3 Last Week: Colby, W 2-1 This Week: Sat 11/9 NCAA Sweet Sixteen: v. winner of Wednesdayąs first-round game between Kean-Richard Stockton at Williams, 1:30pm Sun 11/10 NCAA Regional Championship: Williams-Bowdoin/Bates winner v. Amherst-Kean/Richard Stockton winner at Williams, noon

Field Hockey Upsets No. 1 Trinity to Gain NCAA Tournament Spot

In a midweek preview of last weekąs football game, field hockey upset No. 1 ranked Trinity 1-0 in sudden death overtime to guarantee a spot in their first ever NCAA tournament. They travel to the College of New Jersey for a first round matchup with William Smith. A victory this Saturday will advance the Jeffs into the regional finals and round of eight.

The Jeffs finished off the regular season with a 12-2 record in their second consecutive winning season. Against top-ranked Trinity, Tyra Gettleman '00 (Orono, ME) found an open cage behind a diving goalie ten minutes into overtime for the third goal of her rookie season. This win is the first the Jeffs have ever posted against the Bantams.

Goalie Jess Rich '99 (Stillwater, NY) made nine saves against Trinity in her biggest shutout of the season. She added 14 saves against Colby in the season finale to garner NESCAC Player of the Week honors. She has allowed only six goals all season with her nine shutouts. In her two year career, Rich has 14 shutouts to her credit.

No. Player GP/GS Shots(in/out) Goals Assists Points 4 Irene Permut '99 14/14 21/24 1 2 4 7 Lizzy Hoke '00 1/0 0/0 0 1 1 11 Alie Stechenberg '00 14/8 21/3 4 0 8 12 Sandra Accordino '99 14/14 22/4 6 1 13 14 Tyra Gettleman '00 14/14 45/7 3 2 8 21 Rebecca Levin '99 14/9 13/1 0 1 1 22 Marnie Huffman-Green '99 14/14 63/26 2 5 9 Amherst Totals 14 175/77 16 12 44 Opponent Totals 14 108/42 6 2 14

Goalkeeping GP/GS Saves Save % PC GA GAA SOs 99 Jessica Rich '99 13/13 96 94.1% 90 6 0.46 9 34 Courtney Munch '97 1/1 0 ‹.- % 0 0 0.00 1 Amherst Totals 14 96 94.1% 90 6 0.43 10 Opponent Totals 14 98 86.0% 122 16 1.14 3

Current Record: 12-2 Last Week: Trinity, W 1-0 (OT) Colby, W 1-0 This Week: Sat 11/9 NCAA 1st Round v. William Smith at the College of New Jersey, 2:30pm Sun 11/10 NCAA Regional Championship: Amherst-William Smith winner v. College of New Jersey-Washington College of Maryland winner at College of New Jersey, 1:00pm

Women's Volleyball Competes with New England Elites

In a rematch of an earlier game, womenąs volleyball defeated Pioneer Valley rival Smith in five sets after losing in five at the beginning of the season. Kristin Edgar '99 (Colorado Springs, CO) had 16 kills against the Pioneers and currently leads the team in hitting percentage at .331. Co-Captain Laura Becvar '97 (El Paso, TX) is the team leader in kills, while Adrienne Beshong '98 (Melrose, MA) tops the team in blocks.

While they lost in three sets to MIT during the week, the Jeffs posted a 1-1 showing in Little III competition. Despite an upset over Williams early in the season, Amherst fell in four sets to the host team before defeating Wesleyan in three. Edgar registered 18 kills and 15 blocks in two matches, while setter Liz Delsman '98 (Brooklyn, NY) had 32 assists for the weekend.


Current Record: 22-11
Last Week:	Smith, W 3-2
		at MIT, L 0-3
		Little IIIs at Williams: Williams, L 1-3
					Wesleyan, W 3-0
This Week:	Fri 11/8 - Sat 11/9 NESCAC Invitational at Hamilton