The men’s lacrosse team defeated third-ranked Amherst (7-3, 32 NESCAC) on Saturday, and improved their record to 9-2 (3-2 NESCAC) with the tough 9-7 victory. Glenn Adams ’06 has now scored the game-winning goal against the Lord Jeffs for two straight years, as he broke a 7-7 tie in the fourth quarter on Saturday. Last year, Adams scored in overtime to take down Amherst. This marks the fifth straight year the Cardinals have defeated the Lord Jeffs.
“Yesterday’s win was huge for us, the first step in a two-step process that is the road to the Little Three Championship,” said quad-captain Jeff Jorve ’04. “It is always good to beat Amherst; in fact, this year’s senior class has never lost to the Lord Jeff’s.”
The teams, now tied for third in the league along with Bowdoin, were locked in a close battle for the entire game. Amherst started the scoring at 10:06, but Dave Fine ’04 tied it less than a minute later. Wes took the lead shortly afterwards on a goal by Chris Meade ’05, with Adams picking up the first of four assists. Amherst tied it at two before Adams got his second assist when Jordan Funt ’06 scored the first of his three goals to give the Cards a 3-2 lead after one period of play.
“This game really showcased the play of rising sophomore stars Parks Adams and Jordan Funt,” Jorve said. “All season long these two have been playing with a huge chip on their shoulder, due mainly to the pressure of playing in the shadow of a dominant senior class.”
The Cards defense stepped up in the second quarter, shutting the Lord Jeffs out for the rest of the half. Again Funt was able to finish on another assist by Adams, and then quad-captain Ian Applegate ’04 added to the lead before half on Adams fourth straight assist.
Amherst came out hot to open the second half, scoring two early goals to get the Cardinals’ lead back down to one. Halfway through the quarter Applegate, the team’s goal leader, collected his second of the match. Amherst pulled within one again, but Funt struck for a ridiculous goal, his third, with 32 seconds left in the quarter. The home team ended the quarter with all of the momentum and an enthusiastic crowd rallying behind them.
The Cards looked to be in good shape with the lead and momentum, but Amherst scored two goals by the 7:31 mark to tie the game at seven a piece. With less than two minutes left, Adams scored a goal of his own as Wes took advantage of an extra-man opportunity and Applegate collected the assist.
Despite a desperation attack by Amherst, the Cards defense anchored by goalie Matt Wheeler ’05 stood up to the challenge. Wheeler faced forty shots in the contest, making twelve saves including a big stop at the end. With only one second left in the game, Chris Knacke ’05 finished off the Lord Jeffs with a goal assisted again by Applegate. A rowdy celebration ensued, as the final score stood at 9-7 in favor of the home team.
“Everyone played well, we have been practicing pretty hard for the last few weeks and it really showed,” Funt said. “We definitely came together.”
The squad travels to Trinity (4-6, 2-4 NESCAC) on Tuesday, putting a three-game winning streak on the line. The team hopes to ride their train of momentum into Hartford and get everyone involved in the scoring against the Bantams. Then on Saturday, after a few good practices, the team will be prepared to finish off the Little Three at Williams on Saturday.
“I just want to give it up for R.A.B.A,” Fine said. “Without his expert tutelage, essentially telling the team to physically harm the opposition, I would not have achieved and maintained my high level of aggressiveness and violence.”
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