Williams Spoils Perfect Season...Again
Williams Spoils Perfect Season...AgainLeading Amherst to within two seconds of a perfect season was senior Co-Captain Rich Willard (Johnstown, NY), who concluded his collegiate football career with his best game in four years. Rallying the Jeffs from 17- and 14-point deficits toward late-game leads, the quarterback threw 26-of-44 completions for a whopping 378 yards. His five touchdowns broke the Amherst record for most passing TDs in a single game, and it brought Willard's senior season total to 16, tying yet another Lord Jeff best. The signal-caller also challenged three more single-game records, falling one shy of most attempts in a game (45), two short of most completions (28) and just 15 off the most yards in one game (393). Already Amherst Career Passing Leader (4,387 yards) and Career Attempts Leader (563), Willard was recognized as the ECAC Offensive Player of the Week. The Football Writers of New England also named Willard the winner of the Coca Cola Gold Helmet Award, presented weekly to the most outstanding player in Divisions II and III football as the New England Player of the Week.
Amherst faced its first deficit of the season when Williams scored on the opening kickoff. However, the Jeffs matched the Ephs two minutes later to tie the game at 7-7 on a Darin Byrne (Winchester, MA) three-yard run. As Amherst prepared to respond to a second Eph score, Williams leveled its first sack against Willard and recovered the ensuing fumble to halt the Jeff momentum.
Surviving two more sacks, Willard had seen enough as Amherst trailed 24-7 with 1:24 left in the first half. The last time the Jeffs were on the short end of such a score was in their 33-10 loss to Trinity in 1995. Amherst mounted a seven-play scoring drive in just 1:17 to cut the lead to 10 at the break. Willard racked up 79 of his 109 first half passing yards on that drive, including a 36-yard bomb to senior wideout Shaun Quigley (Chicopee, MA) in the endzone.
The trademark Amherst defense resurfaced in the third quarter as it shut out the Ephs and allowed backup QB Sean Keenan (Rutland, VT) only five yards of total offense in 14 minutes. Picking up where they had left off in the first half, the Jeffs scored on three successive possessions on 8-11 passing by Willard and 132 total yards on 17 plays. A 34-yard field goal by rookie Liam Fleming (Braintree, MA) brough Amherst within a touchdown, which the Jeffs scored on a three-play 44 second drive. The 15-yard catch by Colin Barnacle (Denver, CO) in the endzone tied the game at 24 with 9:52 left in the third.
Amherst took its first lead of the game five minutes later on Willard's third TD pass of the day, a 4-yard lob to Todd Haggerty (Albany, NY), one play after an incompletion to the senior in the endzone. The Jeffs looked to extend their lead late in the quarter, but an interception at the Williams 20 again turned the momentum in the Ephs' favor. Williams converted the pick into a touchdown early in the fourth, and the Ephs would reclaim the lead on their next possession. Lining up for only their second field goal in 17 games (their first bringing their lead to 24-7 in the second quarter), ECAC and NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Week Colin Vataha (Lincoln, MA) sank a 22-yard field goal, but had the play called back as Amherst was penalized for roughing the kicker. First down Williams. A two-yard run gave Williams a 38-31 lead, and they reclaimed possession on a fumbled kickoff return at the Amherst 33. Taking advantage of the Jeffs' third turnover of the day, Williams let rookie running back Fred Storz (Rockaway, NJ) carry the Ephs to a 45-31 lead.
But, again, Amherst staged a dramatic comeback. Despite suffering his fourth sack on the opening play, Willard orchestrated a 10-play pure pass drive for 86 yards for Quigley's second score. The defense held Williams to three and out on their next possession as Amherst stormed down the field toward the endzone. Hitting Haggerty with a 15-yarder, Willard's next receiver was ECAC and NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Week Matt Hall (Lincroft, NJ), whose second collegiate catch was from 34-out into the endzone. Lining up for what appeared to be an ordinary extra point attempt, PAT holder Hall stood on the snap for a perfect pass to Haggerty deep in the endzone. Amherst led 46-45 on its only two-point conversion attempt of the year.
Unwilling to disappoint its Homecoming crowd or the television audience watching on NESN, Williams took advantage of the 1:49 remaining on the game clock. Despite a 13-yard sack by senior linebacker Jake Conca (Attleboro, MA), the Ephs plowed to midfield, where an Amherst personal foul pushed Williams to the 35. Defense held the Ephs to only three yards in three plays, but Williams turned to its newest weapon as Vataha positioned himself for a 27-yard field goal. With two seconds left on the clock, the ball sailed through the uprights as Williams forced a three-way tie for Little III.
at Weston Field, Williamstown, Massachusetts Amherst (7-1) 7 7 17 15 -- 46 Williams (7-1) 14 10 0 24 -- 48 First Quarter 10:41 W Peter Supino 10 run (Colin Vataha kick) 8:38 A Darin Byrne 3 run (Liam Fleming kick) 3:06 W Mike McAdam 1 run (Vataha kick) Second Quarter 10:16 W Michael Cleary 5 pass from Supino (Vataha kick) 1:24 W Vataha 35 field goal 0:07 A Shaun Quigley 36 pass from Rich Willard (Fleming kick) Third Quarter 11:17 A Fleming 34 field goal 9:52 A Colin Barnacle 15 pass from Willard (Fleming kick) 5:16 A Todd Haggerty 4 pass from Willard (Fleming kick) Fourth Quarter 14:38 W Supino 2 run (Vataha kick) 9:53 W Paul Bethe 2 run (Vataha kick) 7:41 W Fred Storz 10 run (Vataha kick) 4:33 A Quigley 19 pass from Willard (Fleming kick) 1:49 A Matt Hall 34 pass from Willard (Hall pass to Haggerty good) 0:02 W Vataha 27 field goal Attendance: 11,500 Amherst Williams First downs 21 25 Rushing-yards 23-59 45-219 Passing yards 378 283 Return yards 176 122 Passes 44-26-1 40-19-0 Punts 5-127 7-204 Fumbles-lost 2-2 2-0 Penalties-yards 6-57 7-23Rushing: A Darin Byrne 13-36, Bob DiSabato 4-15, Rich Willard 6-(-22). W Fred Storz 22-130, Peter Supino 11-49, Mike McAdam 7-23, Paul Bethe 1-2, Brandon Davidson 2-(-8), Sean Keenan 2-(-15).
1997 Amherst College Results (7-1) Sept 20 at Hamilton W 38-0 Sept 27 Bowdoin W 30-0 Oct 4 Middlebury W 22-17 Oct 11 at Colby W 35-0 Oct 18 Wesleyan W 36-14 Oct 25 at Tufts W 14-6 Nov 1 Trinity W 35-8 Nov 8 at Williams L 46-48 Tentative 1998 Amherst Football Schedule Sept 26 Bates 1:30 Oct 3 at Bowdoin 1:30 Oct 10 at Middlebury 1:30 Oct 17 Colby 1:30 Oct 24 at Wesleyan 1:30 Oct 31 Tufts 1:30 Nov 7 at Trinity 1:00 Nov 14 Williams 12:00
Men's Soccer Blazes to NCAA New England RegionalAndy Kay (North Easton, MA) earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors for his two-assist performance to subdue the Ephs, and he propelled the Jeffs to an NCAA first-round victory over Middlebury. The sophomore scored in the third minute to give Amherst an early 1-0 lead, and he notched a go-ahead goal in the 73rd minute. But his victory run was premature as the Panthers fought back to tie the match with just 1:12 left in regulation to force overtime.
Middlebury took a 3-2 lead within a minute of extra time, but Kay fed senior Devin Talbott (Washington, DC) in the 99th minute for an Amherst equalizer. Both teams remained scoreless through three more overtime periods to force a shootout to see who would advance to the New England Championship this weekend at Bowdoin.
Senior Captain Tim Christian (Agawam, MA) stepped to the line to kick off the shootout, but his blast to the left side of the net was saved. Kay converted on his PK, and senior sweeper Nate McDonald (Burnsville, MN) tied the score 2-2. The third Panther stepped to the line and sent his shot just wide of the net. Brian Angelini (Granada Hills, CA), who scored the game-winner at Williams in overtime, gave Amherst a 3-2 lead. Middlebury continued to curve its shots to keeper Kevin Larner's (Short Hills, NJ) right, but the fourth Panther shot skittered off the outside left post and back into the box. Sophomore Gary Kegal (Woodway, WA) sealed Amherst's trip to Maine with a score in the left corner of the net. This is the second time Amherst and Middlebury have met in the NCAA Tournament, with Amherst emerging victorious in penalty kicks both times.
Propelling the Jeffs into the "Big Dance" was a 2-1 Homecoming spoiler for Williams. Talbott tied the match early in the second half off a Kay header, and the archrivals faced sudden death with a 1-1 tie. But midway through the first extra period, Kay struck again with a cross to Angelini for the game-winner.
Amherst faces top-seeded Bowdoin on Saturday for a spot in the Regional Championship. The NESCAC rivals have met once before this season, with Amherst claiming a 3-1 victory on Hitchcock Field. The winner of that game will face the winner of Plymouth State-Wheaton for an invitation to the National Quarterfinals next week. Amherst entered the post-season with a 3-1 record against the 40-team field.
No. Name G A P 11 Andrew Kay '00 9 5 23 4 Tim Christian '98 8 0 16 9 Devin Talbott '98 5 3 13 7 Matthew Diggs '99 4 4 12 10 Gary Kegal '00 1 3 5 5 Brian Angelini '00E 1 2 4 3 Nate McDonald '98 1 1 3 18 Mike Sullivan '98 1 1 3 2 Ben Haley '99 0 1 1 12 Mike Grant '99 0 1 1 Amherst Totals 30 22 82 Opponent Totals 22 16 58 Goalkeeping W L T Min Svs GA Sv% GAA ShO Kevin Larner '99 9 4 2 1433 89 21 .809 1.32 3 Stephen Tornabene '01 0 2 0 20 3 1 .750 4.50 0 Amherst Totals 9 4 2 1453 92 22 .807 1.36 3 Opponent Totals 4 9 2 1453 88 30 .746 1.86 2 Current Record: 9-4-2 Last Week: at Williams, W 2-1 OT NCAA First Round, No. 4 seed No. 5 Middlebury, T 3-3 4ot (4-2 PKs) This Week: NCAA New England Championship Sat Nov 15 at No. 1 Bowdoin, 10:30am Sun Nov 16 v. No. 2 Plymouth State/No. 3 Wheaton, 12:00pm (if win Sat)
Women's Soccer Wins Metro Region ChampionshipAmherst cruised to a 2-0 victory over Western Connecticut behind the sophomore scoring of Katie Connelly (East Granby, CT) and Genny Furst (Deephaven, MN). But the test came against second-seeded William Paterson, who boasted a 2-0 lead on the Jeffs with less than seven minutes left in regulation. Refusing to disappoint their home crowd, the top-ranked Jeffs staged a comeback reminiscent of their Homecoming victory over Wesleyan.
Receiving a throw-in down the left sideline, Lesley Greene (Westport, CT), recently moved from sweeper to striker, set a cross onto the foot of All-American Shaunette Richards (Mays Landing, NJ) for Amherst's first score with 6:09 to play. Just 47 seconds later, Connelly blasted the equalizer from the top of the 6 to force overtime. Thirty scoreless minutes elapsed to usher in sudden death elimination. As the first period waned, Connelly struck for the third time this weekend, sealing the Metro Region Championship in the 131st minute. For her spectacular performances, the sophomore was named the NESCAC Player of the Week.
No. Name G A P 15 Kathryn Hersey '99 10 4 24 8/1 Katie Connelly '00 7 4 18 14 Ellie Hickerson '98 1 8 10 9 Shaunette Richards '98 4 1 9 4 Genny Furst '00 4 1 9 18 Erika Johnson '98 2 1 5 19 Kerry Weeks '98 1 3 5 11 Alexa Faigen '01 2 0 4 27 Laura Kochansky '98 2 0 4 24 Beth Leonard '98 1 2 4 3 Meg Riley '01 2 1 5 6 Lesley Greene '00 0 1 1 12 Janinne Noel '99 0 1 1 10 Jen Havlik '00 0 1 1 22 Lauren Eichler '01 0 1 1 Opponent Own Goals 1 0 2 Amherst Totals 37 29 103 Opponent Totals 11 9 31 Goalkeeping W L T Min Svs GA Sv% GAA ShO Sarah Fabian '98 14 2 0 1497 112 10 .918 0.60 6 Katie Connelly '00 0 0 0 23 3 1 .750 3.91 0 Amherst Totals 14 2 0 1520 115 11 .913 0.65 6 Opponent Totals 2 14 0 1520 167 37 .819 2.19 2 Current Record: 14-2 Last Week: NCAA Metro Regional Tournament at Amherst Western Connecticut, W 2-0 William Paterson, W 3-2 2ot This Week: NCAA National Quarterfinals at Amherst Sat Nov 15 Elizabethtown, 12:00pm
Propelling the Firedogs into the post-season was a third-place finish at the NESCAC Championships. Downing Colby in three games for the third time this season, Amherst fell in four to Williams before claiming the consolation match 3-2 over Tufts. Three players earned All-League honors as Kristen Edgar (Colorado Springs, CO) and Erin Greenspun (Santa Monica, CA) were named to the All-NESCAC Second Team, while senior co-captain Liz Delsman (Brooklyn, NY) earned Honorable Mention distinction. Greenspun was also a member of the NESCAC All-Tournament Team.
Making their third straight post-season appearance, Amherst field hockey concluded its 1997 campaign in the ECAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed. Traveling to Keene State, the Jeffs found themselves trailing 1-0 less than two minutes into the match. While Amherst outshot the Owls 17-12, the Jeffs fell 2-1 in scoring as keeper Jes Rich (Stillwater, NY) made 13 saves. Junior Tri-Captain Irene Permut (Wilmington, DE) notched Amherst's lone goal with 1:33 left in the game as part of the Jeffs' record breaking 38 goals this season. The previous single-season record had been 35 goals, set in both 1984 and 1985.
Field Hockey Finishes in ECAC Tournament
No. Name G A P
3 Gretchen Bowe '01 9 2 20
2 Tyra Gettleman '00 8 4 20
11 Alie Stechenberg '00 5 2 12
12 Sandy Accordino '99 5 2 12
4 Irene Permut '99 4 4 12
24 Heather Kestner '98 4 3 11
22 Marnie Huffman-Green '99 1 2 4
20 Kristen Osborn '01 1 1 3
25 Risa Ravitz '00 1 0 2
9 Carline Kelly '01 0 1 1
10 Aleni Pappas '00 0 1 1
Amherst Totals 38 22 97
Opponent Totals 17 9 43
Goalkeeping W L T Min Svs PC GA Sv% GAA ShO
Jes Rich '99 10 5 0 1087 65 80 17 .793 1.09 6
Amherst Totals 10 5 0 1087 65 80 17 .793 1.09 6
Opponent Totals 45 10 0 1087 174 194 38 .821 2.45 2
Final Season Record: 10-5
Last Week: ECAC Tournament: No. 5 seed
at No. 4 Keene State, L 1-2
Finishing the regular season with a 24-12 record, the Firedogs earned their fifth straight bid to the ECAC Tournament with a No. 4 seed in the eight-team championship at Smith College. Amherst will look to avenge an earlier four-game loss to Gordon in the first round for another crack at Pioneer Valley rival Smith, the top-seed and host.
Women's Volleyball Earns Fifth Straight ECAC Bid
Current Record: 24-12
Last Week: NESCAC Championship - 3rd place
Colby, W 3-0
Williams, L 1-3
at Tufts, W 3-1
This Week: ECAC Tournament at Smith, No. 4 seed
Fri Nov 14 v. No. 5 Gordon, 6:00pm
Sat Nov 15 Winner v. No. 1 Smith/No. 8 Elmira, 11:00am
Sat Nov 15 Championship Match, 4:00pm
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11/13/97