Around the Herd: Oct. 8 to Oct. 11 in Athletics

Field Hockey

On Wednesday, the field hockey team traveled to Tufts, where they fell 3-1 to the No. 7 Jumbos. 

The Mammoths started out strong — Katie Kantrovitz ’27 sent the ball from the defensive end all the way upfield, where Molly Donegan ’26 corralled it and forced an early save from the Tufts’ keeper. Keeping the intensity up, the Mammoths were the first to score in the match. With just under five minutes left in the first quarter, Emma Zhang ’29 hit the ball into the arc, where Donegan was able to tap the feed into the goal for the 1-0 score. The Jumbos found the equalizer quickly, barely two minutes into the second quarter. Although goalie Kate Grady ’28 made the initial save, Tufts collected the rebound for the second shot attempt, which they converted on. From there, the Jumbos took control of the game, finding the net again in the third quarter for their first lead of the game. Both teams continued to battle. With six minutes left in the fourth, the Mammoths had the chance to equalize courtesy of a Tufts foul in the arc. Maya Harrington ’27 sent the penalty corner into play, where Bella Kim ’29 got her stick on the ball, sending a shot on frame. However, the Tufts keeper was all over it, turning the shot away. Then, with under one minute left in the game, Amherst pulled Grady to try to gain an offensive advantage. Unfortunately, Tufts earned a corner with no keeper in goal, and they were able to send the ball into the goal for a 3-1 final score.

In the loss, Amherst had four shots compared to Tufts’ 12, while Grady made three saves. The Mammoths look forward to an action-packed schedule next week. They first host Smith College today, for their Pride Game, before taking on Hamilton at home on Saturday, Oct. 18, and honoring their four seniors: Donegan, Isa Lattuada ’26, Justine Liguori ’26, and Anna Aiello ’26.

Men’s Soccer

The men’s soccer team played an away game on Wednesday, besting Keene State 2-1.

In Keene, New Hampshire, the Mammoths found immediate offensive success. Only a minute into the contest, Mohammed Nuhu ’27 sent a corner kick into the box; the ball found Phineas Lonergan ’29, who deflected the ball past the Owls’ defense to give Amherst a 1-0 advantage. The Mammoths’ offensive continued to attack throughout the first period, recording multiple shots on goal — including an attempt from Riley Priddy ’27 that hit the crossbar — but nothing crossed the line. After halftime, the Owls found an offensive stride of their own. In the 48th minute, after a Keene State attacker’s shot rang off the crossbar, the team finally scored the equalizer off a long pass headed into the net. Amherst responded 10 minutes later when a corner kick from Nuhu sailed into the goal, regaining the lead 2-1. The Mammoths and the Owls found more offensive opportunities in the last minutes of the game, but strong goalkeeping from both ends of the field made the final score 2-1 for Amherst.

On Saturday, Oct. 18, the team will return to the pitch to face Hamilton College and honor their six seniors, Juan Perez ’26, Ugnius Selvenis ’26, James Street ’26, Andrew Tremante ’26, Adrian Trott ’26, and Ioannis Hadjiyiannis ’26.

Volleyball

This week, the volleyball team played two home games. On Thursday, they lost to Springfield College 3-0. On Saturday, against NESCAC rival Wesleyan, the team again fell 3-0.

In LeFrak Gymnasium on Thursday night, the Springfield Pride got off to a strong start against the Mammoths. In the first set, Springfield scored seven consecutive goals to take an 11-3 advantage. Seven kills from Charlotte Rasmussen ’26, a combined kill from Chideraa Ngwadom ’27 and Sofia Camilo ’28, and service aces from Judith Subirats-Bosch ’29 and Zosia Teraszkiewicz ’28 stifled the Pride’s momentum, but they claimed the set 25-18. Springfield was dominant again in the second set with an early lead of 7-2. Thanks to kills from Rasmussen, Ngwadom, Camilo, and Stella Jacey ’29, Amherst went on a six-point run that narrowed the gap to 11-13. The score was close for the remainder of the second, but the Pride prevailed, taking the set 25-21. The Mammoths found early success in the third set, recording a seven-point run due in part to three service aces and a kill by Ngwadom. Kills from Gabrielle Hines ’29 and Brielle Renwick ’27 also resulted in an 8-3 advantage for Amherst. The two teams traded points for the remainder of the third set, but a late six-point streak for Springfield allowed them to pull out the set 25-19. The game ended 0-3 for the Mammoths.

On Saturday afternoon, the first set was evenly matched between Amherst and the Cardinals. Allie McLaughlin ’27, Camilo, and Rasmussen all recorded kills while Camilo and Renwick made a combined block that gave the Mammoths a narrow 14-13 lead. Wesleyan went on to take the next nine of 10 points. Amherst was unable to recover afterward, conceding the set 16-25. Both teams continued to battle in the second set. For the Mammoths, McLaughlin posted three early kills, and Ngwadom earned a kill and a combined block. With the score tied 16 apiece, a critical kill from Addison Lau ’29 and a block from Ngwadom gave Amherst an offensive stride. The Mammoths took a 24-20 lead, but the Cardinals rallied to score the next five points. Despite two more kills from Camilo, Wesleyan took the set in a hard-fought 31-29. In the third set, Amherst posted a strong start with a 6-1 lead thanks to kills from Rasmussen, Renwick, and McLaughlin. The Cardinals responded quickly, keeping the score close for the rest of the set. Eventually, Wesleyan gained the advantage, 21-19, but Amherst returned with three consecutive kills from McLaughlin, Camilo, and Ngwadom to regain the lead. In the end, the Cardinals’ offense dominated for the rest of the set. Wesleyan took the set 27-25 to win the match in straight sets.

The team will play again on Friday, Oct. 17, against Connecticut College.

Football

This past Saturday, Amherst football drove up to Brunswick, Maine, where they beat the Bowdoin Polar Bears for their fourth straight win, thanks to a massive fourth-quarter surge. 

Both teams traded possessions back and forth in the first quarter, ultimately ending it scoreless. Early in the second, Bowdoin was able to find the endzone before Amherst, taking a 7-0 lead. However, this was their only lead of the game. From there, Amherst took over. Now on the offensive, Marek Hill ’28 found Carter Jung ’26 for a 34-yard reception. Hill then took it himself, for two separate five-yard rushes, the second of which landed him in the endzone. Hudson Fulcher-Melendy ’28 converted on the extra point, and just like the score was even at 7-7. Later on in the second, slow but steady movement from the Mammoths landed them at the 29-yard line on fourth down, and Fulcher-Melendy stepped up and completed the field goal for Amherst’s first lead of the game.

Following halftime, Luke Harmon ’26 deflected Bowdoin quarterback Peter Macaulay’s pass, giving possession back to Amherst to get the offense going. A string of plays put the team in range, and Fulcher-Melendy made another field goal for the 13-7 score. Finally, in the fourth quarter, the team came alive. A huge play by Demitrius Smith ’27, rushing for 49 yards, set up Smith to run into the endzone on the following down. The made point after touchdown (PAT) put the Mammoths up 20-7, and they were just getting started. Devin Fragale ’27 sacked the Bowdoin backup quarterback for a loss, forcing Bowdoin to punt. Then, a monster pass from Hill to Jung for 62 yards on the following offensive set landed Jung in the endzone for his first touchdown of the game. Jung’s catch was so nice, he had to do it twice: The next time Amherst had the ball, Hill again connected with Jung for a 35-yard touchdown reception. Fulcher-Melendy continued to get the job done on the extra points, increasing the Amherst lead 34-7. There was no chance for a Bowdoin comeback, as the defense shut them down time and time again. Forced to go for the first down on fourth and 12, Gabriel Taylor ’29 sealed the win for Amherst, leaping into the air to intercept the Bowdoin ball with one hand. With just under one minute in the fourth, the Mammoths finished out the game with a decisive score of 34-7. 

In the win, Smith rushed for a team-high 107 yards, including his touchdown. Jung registered an astounding 181 receiving yards plus his two touchdowns. Matthew Diaz ’27, Christian Moore ’27, and Connor Bunnak ’28 also contributed significant yardage. Defensively, Luke Harmon ’26, Miles Harmon ’26, and Taylor all had interceptions, while Jackson Duncan ’27, Ty Kazanowsky ’27, Izaiah Gallagher ’29, Josh Kuczynski ’28, and Fragale all sacked the Bowdoin quarterbacks to thwart any successful offensive plays. The win puts the Mammoths at 4-1 and in a four-way tie for first place in the NESCAC. This weekend, they look to continue this winning streak, hosting the Colby Mules on Saturday, Oct. 18, for their penultimate home game of the season.

Head of the Herd: Carter Jung ’26

As the football team continues its dominant win streak, it is clear that they have multiple offensive and defensive threats. Senior wide receiver Carter Jung ’26 has consistently been at the top of other teams’ scouts all season, as he continues to put up staggering numbers. The Bowdoin game was no different — in addition to his two touchdowns, he registered eight receptions for a team-high 181 total yards. Putting up big numbers game after game has landed Jung second in the NESCAC for average receptions per game with 91 yards per game. Jung credited his success in part to the “constant communication between drives,” in addition to having the mindset of “playing free and having fun.” To prepare for tough coverage, he noted that the receivers consistently practice against a great scout defense, which has contributed to the “receiver room stepping up big time” in key moments. For his strong performance and impressive yardage, Jung earns this week’s Head of the Herd.