WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - Amherst College ended its men's soccer season with a 2-0 loss at number-one ranked and undefeated Williams College on Saturday in the NEASCAC Tournament semifinals.

The Ephs, now 15-0 on the season, scored twice in the second half to advance to Sunday's final against Middlebury College, who defeated Bowdoin 1-1 (4-2) on penalty kicks in today's other semifinal.

Amherst junior goalkeeper Bill Orum (Greenwich, CT) held Williams scoreless until the 56th minute, turning away numerous scoring opportunities, including a flurry of shots just before the break.

Finally, at the 56:45 mark, Williams senior Michael Cortese made a quick run and was brought down at the top of the penalty box, setting up a penalty shot by junior midfielder Josef Powell. Powell drilled a right-footed blast past a diving Orum in the lower right corner of the net to give the Ephs a 1-0 lead.

Williams struck again four minutes later on a corner kick by sophomore striker Alex Blake, headed past Orum by senior Will Ouimet just in side the far post. For Ouimet, the older brother of Amherst standout field hockey standout Abby Ouimet, it was his first career goal and the straw that broke the camel's back for the Jeffs' 2000 season.

Amherst finished with an 8-5-2 record after ripping off three straight wins to end the season, despite a roster saturated with underclassmen. First-year phenom Franklin Perry (Hartford, CT) capped a standout rookie campaign as the Jeffs' leading scorer with eight goals and one assist in 14 games. Junior forward David Michener (Eden Prairie, MN) was similarly impressive with six goals, while Orum finished with five shutout wins on the season.