FROM A MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE RELEASE 

April 9, 2005 

MIDDLEBURY, VT - The 13th-ranked Amherst College men's lacrosse team suffered a hard-fought 13-12 loss at seventh-ranked NESCAC rival Middlebury College on Saturday. Middlebury junior Travis Meyer netted an unassisted goal with 1:18 left in regulation, and the Jeffs were unable to convert a man-up opportunity in the waning seconds as Amherst fell to 5-2 (2-2 NESCAC). 

Amherst came out strong, scoring twice in the first three minutes on goals from sophomores Derek Cherney (Chappaqua, NY) and Chris Hofmann (New Canaan, CT). Middlebury kept it close over the next seven minutes and then erupted for six straight goals, including a pair from first-year Jim Cabrera, to take an 8-4 advantage. The Jeffs rallied in the closing minutes of the first half as Cherney scored a man-up goal with 1:10 remaining and senior Andrew Syfu (Hobart, IN) slipped in an unassisted tally with three seconds left in the quarter to pull Amherst within two at the break, 8-6. 

After trading goals to open the third, Middlebury took a 10-7 edge with 5:36 left in the frame. Cherney responded for the Jeffs, netting his second man-up goal and feeding Hofmann to cut the lead to one, 10-9, entering the final quarter. Trailing by two with under six minutes to play, senior Alex Casertano (Millbrook, NY) found the net with his 15th goal of the season and Syfu evened the count at the 2:12-mark off a feed from Cherney. With the game tied at the 1:18-mark, Meyer rolled left and slipped a shot under the crossbar to give Middlebury the lead for good. Amherst got one last chance as the Panthers were called for holding with 37 seconds to play, but senior Bryan Hiller's (Wantagh, NY) last-second shot was denied by Middlebury sophomore Alex Palmisano as the Panthers held on and improved to 6-1 (3-0 NESCAC). 

Cabrera finished with four goals to lead Middlebury, while Palmisano grabbed eight saves in goal. Cherney led the Jeff attack with five goals and two assists, while Hofmann and Syfu had three and two goals, respectively. Casertano notched a pair of scores as well, while Hiller, fellow senior Greg Emmanuelidis (Manhasset, NY) and junior Kevin Boova (Summit, NJ) dealt an assist apiece. Senior tri-captain goalie Cushing Donelan (Noroton, CT) collected 15 saves in goal, and junior long-stick midfielder Andrew Wilcox (Ancramdale, NY) swept up a game-high 11 ground balls. 

Amherst returns to action Monday at 4 p.m. against visiting non-conference foe Endicott College. 

BOX SCORE