Men’s Lacrosse, Fourth in NESCAC, Beats Camels, Ephs

Men’s lacrosse returned to action on Wednesday, April 13, in a match against Connecticut College. After dominating the first three quarters, the Mammoths came out on top, 15-13, behind six goals from Brock Gonzalez ’23 who was named NESCAC Player of the Week. Additionally, Bayard DeMallie ’23 scored four goals including the eventual game-winner. Amherst held off a late Camel rally to snatch their narrow victory.

With that win under their belts, the No. 20 Mammoths came into their rivalry game against the No. 18 Williams Ephs. Williams entered the contest 6-5 overall with a 4-2 record in NESCAC play. Amherst came into the contest also at 6-5 overall, but with a 4-3 conference record. On the line was not just the fourth position in NESCAC standings, but also a chance at a home playoff game down the final stretch of the season.

The first quarter of this game was a back-and-forth affair. Williams came out of the gates firing, with a goal from Tim Saffold making it 1-0 Ephs early. But the Mammoths responded, as Dylan Hsu ’25 scored his third goal of the season to tie the game at 1-1. Amherst didn’t stop there; Demallie kept the scoring going with a goal of a beautiful assist from PJ Clementi ’22. Carter Tate ’22 then gave the Mammoths a 3-1 lead, this time with an assist coming from Connor Guest ’24. However, Williams took back the momentum, scoring three straight goals, two of them from Calvin Caputo and one from Saffold to retake the lead, 4-3. Not backing down, Amherst responded with a goal from Gonzalez to tie the score at four apiece early in the second quarter.

The goal from Gonzalez sparked momentum for Amherst, and they dominated that second quarter, outscoring Williams 6-1 in the second period. The offensive barrage came after Williams took a 5-4 lead with their only goal of the frame. Guest got the run started, netting a nice left-handed goal off an assist from Tate. Tanyr Krummenacher ’23 then scored the Mammoths’ sixth goal following a transition pass from Brodie Rayment ’23 to give Amherst the lead. The goals just kept coming, as Gonzalez scored another on an assist from Clementi and his third soon after, breaking free with an acrobatic roll dodge to give Amherst an 8-5 lead. The Mammoths ended their dominant second quarter with two more goals before halftime, as DeMallie and Tate netted to give Amherst a 10-5 edge.

The second half brought much of the same for Amherst, as they recorded a 4-3 scoring edge in the third quarter. Saffold scored for Williams to start the frame before Krummenacher responded with another goal of his own. After a goal from Eph Jacob Sercu made it 11-7, DeMallie and Guest both notched unassisted goals to widen the lead to 13-7. Williams’ Pearse Glavin was able to slice into the lead with a goal, but the Mammoths ended the quarter with one more from Krummenacher to make it 14-8 heading into the final quarter. The fourth quarter saw two goals from the Ephs narrow the Mammoth lead to four, but it proved too much to overcome, and the Mammoths took home the 14-10 victory.

Amherst’s balanced attack was the major key to this crucial win. Jack McHugh ’23 praised the Mammoths' poles, saying: “[The defense] really stepped up [on Saturday,] and we have to continue this great play [to keep winning].” Clementi emphasized that the team has picked up its play in time to set up a playoff run. “It was a great team effort, and we are starting to play better at the right time,” he said. Consistency has been the Mammoths’ strength over their three-game winning streak, and the players are excited to extend their streak in their next game.

Amherst’s chance to do just that will be this Saturday, April 23 on the road, as they travel to No. 19 Middlebury for a 3 p.m. tilt against the Panthers.