Around the Herd: Oct. 1 to Oct. 6 in Athletics

Football

The football team made a statement this weekend, traveling to Middlebury, Vermont, where they handed the Panthers a 27-17 defeat.

It was an electric start for the Mammoths: on 3rd and 11 of the first possession of the game, Wyatt Morgan ’28 sacked Middlebury quarterback Brian Moran, and Ty Kazanowsky ’27 recovered the ball for Amherst possession at the Middlebury 15. On the ensuing drive, Cato Legaspi ’26 carried for the first down, before quarterback Marek Hill ’28 took the fall himself into the endzone. The PAT by Hudson Fulcher-Melendy ’28 gave the team a quick 7-0 lead. On defense, Kazanowsky again made a huge play, sacking Moran for a 10-yard loss on third down and forcing a Middlebury kick to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard. Amherst got everyone involved in the next offensive drive: Hill found Christian Moore ’27, Keith Delaney ’26, and Matthew Diaz ’27 on different occasions to move the chains. On the Middlebury five, Hill again wove through the defense into the endzone, to put the Mammoths up 14-0 after the extra point. Even better, every time the Amherst offense made a big play, the defense matched them. Carson Skotak ’27 stopped Middlebury dead in their tracks, making a critical tackle on 4th and 1 to force a Middlebury turnover on downs. Late in the second quarter, Middlebury finally made it to field goal range, where they put their first points on the board. With the clock under one minute, Hill found Delaney for 18 yards on 3rd down, allowing the Mammoths to also attempt a field goal, which Fulcher-Melendy put away for a 17-3 halftime lead.

All the momentum was in favor of the Mammoths in the second half, who quickly took advantage on offense. Despite getting stopped at the two-yard line, Fulcher-Melendy and special teams again got the job done, giving Amhrest a dominant 20-3 lead. Amherst’s last big offensive play came in the third: Key first downs from Legaspi, Moore, and Connor Bunnak ’28 brought the team downfield, before Legaspi himself rushed into the endzone. In the fourth quarter, Middlebury would manage to score two touchdowns, but they never came close to upsetting the early Amherst lead. As time expired, the score was 27-17 in favor of the Mammoths. The win was the team’s third straight, putting them tied for first place in NESCAC play. In the victory, Hill had two rushing touchdowns and passed for 245 yards. Demitrius Smith ’27 and Legaspi got it done on the ground, while the receiving room had a banner day, with Moore and Delaney making plays when it mattered. Hudson Fulcher-Melendy was perfect on the day as well, making all three extra points and going 2/2 on field goal attempts. Defensively, Kazanowsky and Morgan both had a sack, with Kazanowsky also getting the fumble recovery. Luke Harmon ’26 led the team with 10 tackles, including a forced fumble and multiple tackles for loss. 

The Mammoths look to continue their winning streak, traveling to Brunswick to play the Bowdoin Polar Bears on Saturday, Oct. 11. 

Field Hockey

This week, the field hockey team played two road games. On Wednesday, they traveled to Western New England University and earned a 2-1 victory. On Saturday, they faced off against Wesleyan and fell in a close 1-0 game.

In Springfield against the Western New England Golden Bears, the Mammoths found offensive success early. In the first two minutes of the game, Amherst was awarded a penalty stroke: Emma Zhang ’29 launched a shot toward the left corner of the net, but Western New England’s goalkeeper made a diving save to keep the game scoreless. The Golden Bears’ netminder blanked the Mammoths again when Genevieve Caruso ’27’s attempt at the right post was blocked in the last minutes of the first period. However, Amherst finally broke the stalemate three minutes into the second quarter, when Scarlette Liftin ’29 sent a cross downfield and Bella Kim ’29 collected the ball and buried it in the net. In the third stanza, a pass from Kim found Dylan Bloom ’27, whose shot was then tipped into the net by Caruso to double the lead. Eight minutes into the final quarter, Western New England was awarded their first penalty corner and capitalized on the opportunity, finding the back of the net. In the last minutes of the game, the Mammoths’ defense stifled any attempt by the Golden Bears to score an equalizer. A turnover forced by Katie Savino ’28 in the last seconds of the game solidified the 2-1 win for Amherst. 

On Saturday in Middletown, Connecticut, the Mammoths’ defense was called upon early. In the third minute of the match, the Cardinals were awarded a penalty corner, which forced goaltender Kate Grady ’28 to make an early save. The teams traded possession without a goal attempt for the rest of the quarter until Zhang hit a scooping shot; the ball was rebounded to Devon Watson ’29, but the attempt went just wide. In the last seconds of the second quarter, Amherst was awarded a penalty corner, but pressure from Wesleyan stifled the Mammoths’ attempts before the buzzer went off. The Cardinals were the first on the scoreboard, in the fifth minute of the third stanza, with a deflection right in front of the goal. After finding offensive momentum, Wesleyan tried to score again, but Grady made another key save. He continued to defend the net in the final period, kicking away a point-blank shot from a Cardinal player. Amherst tried to even the score in the final minutes, earning four penalty corners, but Wesleyan’s tight defense held strong and secured a 1-0 win over the Mammoths.

The Mammoths will travel again to face Tufts on Wednesday, Oct. 8.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team faced NESCAC rival Wesleyan on Saturday, losing 2-1.

The opening half was action-packed with the Mammoths earning multiple looks on goal, though nothing came to fruition. Soon after, Wesleyan responded with offensive pressure of their own, scoring in the 38th minute. Later in the first half, the Cardinals continued to find chances, forcing defender Riley Priddy ’27 to make an impressive goal-line stop. Amherst turned on the pressure in the second period, playing with a renewed sense of energy. Their spirit paid off: Mohammed Nuhu ’27 took two corner kicks, the second of which set the Mammoths up for their first goal. Sam Davis ’28 took control of the ball within close range of the goal, sending it into the net to tie the game at 1-1. Wesleyan responded with their second goal in the 77th minute, regaining the lead. Though Amherst displayed an impressive final push, they were unable to secure another goal before the end of the game. The Mammoths played a strong game despite the overall score, finishing with 17 shots compared to Wesleyan’s nine, and six corner kicks compared to one. 

For their next game, the 5-2-3 men’s soccer team will travel to Keene State to face the Owls on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. 

Volleyball 

The volleyball team traveled to Maine this past weekend, where they dropped both of their matches, falling 3-0 to both Bowdoin and Colby.

In Brunswick on Friday, the Polar Bears jumped out to an early 10-5 lead. However, Brielle Renwick ’27 and Sofia Camilo ’28 both registered blocks to narrow the margin. Late in the set, Charlotte Rasmussen ’26, Chideraa Ngwadom ’27, and Ellie Meyers ’28 strung together three consecutive kills, but it was not enough as the Polar Bears took the first set, 25-19. Much of the same continued in the second set: Addison Lau ’29 notched two kills, and Myers and Allie McLaughlin ’27 also added points. Ultimately, Bowdoin was able to run away with the second set 25-11. The third set was the closest for the Mammoths. Lau and Rasmussen got the Mammoths on the board early in the set, and Zosia Teraszkiewicz ’28 had two critical service aces to make the score 22-21. However, the Polar Bears were able to score three more points swiftly to steal the set. Despite the loss, Ngwadom and Gabriele Hines ’29 anchored the defense, each tallying three blocks to pace the Mammoths’ efforts at the net.

The next day, the team traveled to Colby to face the one-loss Mules. Just like the previous day, Camilo started the scoring for the Mammoths. However, once Colby got going, there was nothing stopping them from taking the first set 25-13. In the second set, the Mammoths had early kills from Rasmussen and Tiana Richardson ’27. Again, though, it wasn’t enough to slow down Colby, who quickly claimed the second set.

In the third set, however, the Mammoths started to find their rhythm. Kills from Rasmussen and Ngwadom and aces from Lau and Teraszkiewicz gave the team their first lead of the game. At the 13-point mark, the teams were tied before the Mules managed to pull away. Strong defensive play from Lau and Ngwadom helped keep the Mammoths in contention, but the Mules finished strong, taking the set 25-21 and securing a 3-0 victory.

Despite the tough weekend, the Mammoths are back in action at home, hosting Springfield College on Thursday and NESCAC foe Wesleyan on Saturday.

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team traveled to face Little Three rival Wesleyan on Saturday, walking away with a 3-0 loss. On Monday, they bounced back, beating Emmanuel College 3-1 in an away game.

The Mammoths had to protect their goal from the start of the game, with goalkeeper Lulu Fickes ’26 making two saves right off the bat. By the end of the game, Fickes made six saves, a season high. Her defensive effort was reinforced by center backs Mekhala Costello ’28 and Sofia Preuss ’27, who each brought a fierce energy to the field. Wesleyan’s Maria Utz eventually scored off of a corner kick, moving the score to 0-1. In response, Amherst pushed up the field for one of its strongest goal attempts of the game. Emma Darling ’29 cut through Wesleyan’s defense to send a pass to Brooke Ingemi ’26, who beat the goalkeeper with her sharp shot, but was denied when the ball hit the left goalpost. In the second half, the Mammoths brought the energy with a series of attempts on goal, though the score remained 0-1. Jessica Lomo ’28 had a notable play, deftly running through the Cardinal’s defensive line and weaving her way to the end line until she was taken out by a defender close to the goal. Lomo took four shots on goal over the course of the game, the most of any Amherst player. In the final stretch, Wesleyan earned two goals back-to-back, ultimately bringing the final score to a 0-3 loss for the Mammoths. 

On Monday night in Boston, the Mammoths trailed early against Emmanuel College. In the first two minutes of the match, a redirect in front of the net gave the Saints a 1-0 advantage. Amherst responded, controlling possession and finding offensive chances, but still entered the halftime in a deficit. In the 54th minute, the Mammoths finally broke through when Kate Quigley ’26 received a clearance and delivered a cross to Katie Pedersen ’27. The midfielder then served a pass to an open Katie O’Reilly ’26, who unleashed a rocket into the back of the goal. After scoring the equalizer, Amherst continued to put on the pressure. They scored again in the 63rd minute, again off a corner kick; after making a pass to Darling, Caroline Coletti ’28 secured the ball again, dodged her defender, and launched a ball towards the net. After an initial save from Emmanuel’s goaltender, Ingemi confidently buried the rebound, giving the Mammoths the lead. Less than five minutes later, Coletti sent the ball sailing to the far post from the corner, where Quigley sprang to send a header into the net. Amherst’s defense prevailed for the remainder of the game, limiting the Saints’ offense and solidifying a 3-1 victory.

The 5-2-2 women’s soccer team will travel to Tufts University for their next game on Tuesday, Oct. 14, at 4 p.m. 

Head of the Herd: Ty Kazanowsky ’27

The Mammoths’ dominant win at Middlebury was unquestionably a team effort. Still, certain moments swung the game decisively in Amherst’s favor. Take the opening defensive series: Forcing a sack and fumble recovery on the very first play is huge. Doing it once is helpful — producing another momentum-shifting turnover on the very next snap, this time a sack for a massive loss to force a punt, is how you win games. This week, junior captain Ty Kazanowsky ’27 delivered both game-changing plays to open the first quarter, along with two tackles and consistent impact throughout the duration of the game. For setting the tone early and helping get the defense off the field, Kazanowsky earns this week’s Head of the Herd.