FROM A WNEC RELEASE 

April 6, 2005 

SPRINGFIELD, MA - The 13th-ranked Amherst College men's lacrosse team slipped past upset-minded Western New England College (WNEC) with a narrow 10-9 non-conference victory on Wednesday. Amherst sophomore Derek Cherney (Chappaqua, NY) tallied two goals and two assists, including the game-winning score, as the Jeffs improved to 5-1, while WNEC fell to 5-3. 

Amherst raced out to a 5-1 advantage in the first quarter and stretched its lead to 8-3 at the break. However, the Jeffs' offense slowed in the second half and could muster only one goal in each of the last two frames. WNEC made a late charge, scoring four fourth-quarter goals, including three straight to close regulation, but Cherney's tally with 12:43 left sealed the win. 

Amherst senior Alex Casertano (Millbrook, NY) added a trio of goals and an assist, while seniors Josh Cherney (Chappaqua, NY), Bryan Hiller (Wantagh, NY) and Colby Griffith (Lexington, MA), junior Sean Murray (Madison, NJ) and first-year Will Ferrer (Greenwich, CT) each found the net. Senior Graham Lake (Washington, DC) dished out two assists and fellow senior Andrew Syfu (Hobart, IN) and sophomore Chris Hofmann (New Canaan, CT) dealt one. 

Senior tri-captain goalie Cushing Donelan (Noroton, CT) was credited with 12 stops for the Jeffs, while WNEC first-year Chris Body grabbed 18 saves. Senior Patrick Matthews paced the WNEC offense with a trio of goals. 

Amherst returns to action Saturday at 2 p.m. at seventh-ranked NESCAC rival Middlebury College. 

BOX SCORE