MIDDLETOWN, CT – The Amherst College men's soccer team battled with NESCAC and Little Three archrival Wesleyan University in front of a rowdy homecoming Wesleyan crowd of several hundred people, but neither team could find the back of the net.  The highly-anticipated match-up between the seventh-ranked Wesleyan Cardinals and seventeenth-ranked Amherst Lord Jeffs lived up to expectations, as the teams finished in a 0-0 stalemate after two overtime periods. 

While Amherst seemed to dominate the first half of play, the Jeffs came up empty and remained scoreless going into the half.  The Lord Jeffs had a number of promising opportunities, but continued to miss shot after shot. The midfield combination of senior co-captain Rob Madden (Woodbridge, CT) and senior Ian Lovett (Newton, MA) played well in the game, racking up four shots each.

The Wesleyan University Cardinals emerged from halftime having seemingly caught their second wind, as they maintained consistent pressure throughout the second half.  The Lord Jeff sophomore goalkeeper Jeff Grover (Framingham, MA) refused to let the Wesleyan faithful get into the game, preserving the 0-0 tie with some key plays.

Both teams had scoring opportunities in the extra frames, but still failed to capitalize, registering 14 shots each.  The defenses were solid all game, as both keepers earned well-deserved shutouts.  Grover played all 110 minutes, and turned away four shots, while Matt Gnall (Morristown, NJ) made seven saves.

The Jeffs return to action next Saturday at Hitchcock Field, where they will face Little Three rival Williams College in a pivotal NESCAC match-up at 11 a.m.