Around the Herd: Oct. 24 to Oct. 28 in Athletics

Volleyball

The volleyball team played two home games this week. On Friday, they beat Emerson College 3-1. On Saturday, the team swept Wellesley College 3-0.

On Friday night in LeFrak Gymnasium, the Mammoths and the Lions were well-matched in the first set of the game. Amherst gained the lead first, with kills from Chideraa Ngwadom ’27 and Gabrielle Hines ’29, but Emerson never trailed by more than three points. With the score tied at 12-12, the Lions found their offensive stride and took their first lead of the set. Blocks from Sofia Camilo ’28 and Ngwadom kept the Mammoths trailing close behind, but Emerson claimed the first set 25-19. In the second set, Amherst came out with power, winning the first point from off a big block, again, from Camilo and Ngwadom. The Mammoths extended their lead to 12-3, due in part to Addison Lau ’29’s three kills and service ace in the span. The Lions responded quickly, however, securing the next seven of eight points to narrow Amherst’s lead. With blocks from Brielle Renwick ’27 and Hines, as well as a third ace from Lau, the Mammoth persevered, taking the second set 25-17 to even the score. Emerson and Amherst were well matched at the start of the third period. Both teams traded points until a four-point run by the Mammoths gave them an 18-13 lead. Amherst extended this momentum. Three service aces from Stella Jacey ’29 helped the Mammoths take the set 25-15. In the fourth set, both teams continued to battle. Amherst found its biggest lead of the set after a service ace from Bailey Reid ’27 and a kill from Renwick made the score 14-11. However, the Lions soon regained the lead, winning the next five of six points, 16-15. A crucial solo block from Renwick on the next point tied the set at 16 apiece. This momentum continued for the Mammoths for the rest of the set as they went on to take the fourth set 25-21 and the match 3-1.

The next day, Amherst started their match against the Blue by honoring their two senior players, Alexandra Trofort ’26 and Charlotte Rasmussen ’26. At the beginning of the first set, both teams traded points. A kill and a service ace from Ngwadom, as well as big kills from Camilo and Lau, gave the Mammoths an early lead. Wellesley went on to make a four-point run, late in the set, to narrow the lead to 20-18. The Mammoths rallied, however, and took the set 25-23 thanks to a crucial block from Trofort and Renwick combined with a kill by Trofort. Amherst’s momentum continued in the second set. Reid scored two aces, and Ngwadom and Camilo combined for a block to give the team an early advantage. With a lead of 10-7, the Mammoths would go on to score on the next 10 of 11 plays, extending their edge to a strong 20-8. A kill from Camilo and two more aces from Reid solidified the set for Amherst, 25-11. The Mammoths again posted a dominant start at the beginning of the third set, earning a 10-3 lead after kills from Lau, Renwick, Camilo, and Hines. In the middle of the set, the team again went on a scoring run, taking seven consecutive points thanks to three kills from Camilo and a service ace from Reid, leveling the score to 20-6. Two kills from Tiana Richardson ’27 and Hines closed the set 25-14 for Amherst, earning them a 3-0 victory.

The team will play its penultimate game of the regular season against Middlebury on Friday, Oct. 31.

Field Hockey

This week, the field hockey team traveled to Brunswick, ME, and beat NESCAC rival No. 11 Bowdoin 3-2 in an overtime thriller.

Just two minutes in, the Mammoths found the back of the net. Molly Donegan ’26 dribbled around her defender in the circle, sending a shot towards the goal. Despite the initial save by Bowdoin, Chloe Agopian ’27 corralled the rebound and put it past the keeper for the 1-0 lead. The Mammoths carried this lead into the second quarter, despite strong penalty corner chances for Bowdoin. The Polar Bears found the equalizer in the second quarter, resulting in a tie at the half.

In the second half, both teams continued to battle. Goaltender Kate Grady ’28 made critical saves in the third to keep the score knotted at one apiece. In the fourth quarter, Amherst found the back of the net again. Maya Harrington ’27 sent the corner in to Donegan, who sent the ball onward to teammate Anna Aiello ’26. Aiello sent a shot towards the left post, where Justine Liguori ’26 waited to tap it into the goal past Bowdoin. With just over 10 minutes left in the game, Amherst regained the lead. This was short-lived, though, as Bowdoin scored a minute later, evening the tally. 

Neither team would score in the rest of regulation, sending the game to overtime. The teams continued to step up defensively, with Emily Huehn ’28 showcasing textbook defense to control loose balls and keep Bowdoin out of the circle. It was Liguori who played hero, with two minutes left in overtime. Huehn sent the ball towards Liguori, who turned and sent a no-look shot into the left corner for her second score of the day and for the win. Grady registered five saves in the victory, and Amherst outshot the Polar Bears 12-10. 

The team finished their regular season on Tuesday, beating Trinity 2-1.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team faced Bowdoin for its final away game of the regular season, falling 1-0 in a tight game. 

From the outset, the game was a highly tactical defensive competition. The Mammoths and the Polar Bears faced off, each attempting to hold onto possession. With a strong defensive performance in the first half, Riley Priddy ’27, Jacob Dinezo ’28, and Timothy Chow ’29 worked with goalie Trey Sheppard ’28 to keep the game tied at zero. All four played the entire game, fighting to protect Amherst’s goal. The Mammoths had one shot on goal in the first half when Mohammed Nuhu ’27 tested Bowdoin’s goalie, though unsuccessfully. In the second half, both teams increased the intensity of their play and pushed for more opportunities on the attack. After 67 goalless minutes, Bowdoin’s midfield and attack worked together to create the first successful attempt on goal, bringing the score to 1-0 for the Polar Bears. In an attempt to equalize the score again, Amherst took three strong shots in the closing minutes of the game, although none found the net. From there, Bowdoin held onto their 1-0 victory until the end. Overall, each team took six shots on goal, with the Mammoths taking six corner kicks compared to the Polar Bears’ four. The team heads into their next game with a 7-4-3 record. 

The team faced off against Trinity at home on Tuesday night to finish their regular season. 

Women’s Soccer

The women’s soccer team traveled to Brunswick, ME, to face NESCAC rival Bowdoin, coming home with a 2-1 victory. 

The Mammoths started off strong, dominating possession. To secure their first goal early on, Emma Darling ’29 drove the ball up the field and assisted Brooke Ingemi ’26, who quickly brought the score to 1-0. Building off their early advantage, Amherst kept up the pressure with seven more shots on goal in the first half. Twenty-five minutes in, Sofia Preuss ’27 intercepted the ball to put away the Mammoth’s second goal of the game. Though Bowdoin ramped it up in the second half, they were still only able to secure one rebound goal 75 minutes into the game. In the end, the Mammoths closed the game with a solid 2-1 win. In addition to a victorious final score, Amherst also outperformed Bowdoin in both shots on goal — 24 to nine — and corner kicks taken — nine to two. 

The Mammoths closed out their regular season play with a home game against Trinity College on Tuesday, winning 3-0. 

Football

The football team went down to Middletown, CT, to battle Little Three Rival Wesleyan, who beat Amherst 31-21.

Both teams got off to a slow start — despite multiple possessions, the first quarter ended scoreless. In the second quarter, Wesleyan started with the ball and was able to find the endzone in the second minute of play. The following play with Amherst on offense, Marek Hill ’28 sent a long pass downfield, which was caught by Christian Moore ’27 for a 50-yard gain. Additional yardage from Cato Legaspi ’26 put Amherst on the Wesleyan 3-yard line, and Carter Jung ’26 was able to run it into the endzone for the touchdown score. Hudson Fulcher-Melendy ’28 made the extra point, putting the Mammoths back in the game 7-7. On Wesleyan’s next set of downs, they chose to go for the first down on 4th and 1, but a huge stop from Kemit Fisher ’26 turned the ball over in prime field position for the Mammoths. Picking up right where they left off, Hill connected with Jung for a 21-yard touchdown reception. Another extra point gave Amherst a 14-7 lead. However, still in the second quarter, Wesleyan crawled back. First, a safety narrowed the gap 14-9, before the Cardinal’s quarterback Matt Fitzsimons rushed into the endzone for the 15-14 lead. Wesleyan then attempted a two-point conversion and converted, helping them to a 17-14 lead. Despite an interception thrown by Hill to turn the ball over, Kevin Agnew ’26 had the defensive play of the first half on the following possession, intercepting a Wesleyan pass and returning it from half-field for the pick-6. Thanks to Agnew’s huge play and a big-time sack from Jackson Duncan ’27 late in the first half on Wesleyan’s final offensive set, Amherst headed into the half with a 21-17 lead.

Neither team was able to find the end zone on their first possession of the second half. Unfortunately for the Mammoths, their second possession resulted in an interception. From there, Wesleyan found the endzone to reclaim the lead 24-21. The following Amherst possession, the Wesleyan defense blocked the Mammoth’s punt attempt and returned the ball for yet another touchdown. In the final minutes of the third, the offense could not get going, despite yardage from Legaspi, Yash Gupta ’27, and Moore. Amherst battled in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough. Multiple QB-hurries by the Wesleyan defense shut down the offense. On back-to-back Wesleyan scoring possessions, Tylik Sims ’27, Ty Kazanowsky ’27, and Duncan contributed key tackles to help the Amherst offense return to the field. In the final minutes, Hill found Keith Delaney ’26 twice and Jung once to get the Mammoths to the 50-yard line. Ultimately, Hill was sacked twice and threw two incomplete passes with under one minute as the downs expired. Wesleyan retook the field, winning the game 31-21.

In the loss, Jung led the way with two touchdowns, while Carson Skotak ’27 and Duncan had the most defensive tackles. Agnew’s pick-6 helped keep the team in the game, and five different players sacked the Wesleyan quarterback. The Mammoths look to bounce back this weekend when they play Trinity in their final away game this season.

Head of the Herd: Brooke Ingemi ’26

In the women’s soccer team’s key victory against Bowdoin this week, Brooke Ingemi ’26 helped get the Mammoths on the board first to give them the early lead. In the 10th minute, she collected a pass and backheeled the ball to the inside near post. This buffer helped the team, which scored another goal to double its lead over the Polar Bears. In addition to the tally, Ingemi’s midfield play was dominant, helping step to early balls and carrying with confidence through the midfield to get the team into the offensive end. She registered three shots in the match and has scored goals in three of the last four games for Amherst. For her consistent, reliable play on both ends of the ball, Ingemi earns this week’s Head of the Herd.