AMHERST, MA –Host Amherst College and Western New England will advance into the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament after winning their first round games this afternoon. Amherst toppled Westfield State College in the first game, 3-1, while WNEC beat Wheaton College, 2-1.
Amherst sophomore forward Jake Duker (Newton, MA) began the scoring for the Lord Jeffs in the 13th minute when he poked home a Mike Wohl (Northampton, MA) cross. Senior co-captain Wohl broke free on the right side of the 18-yard box before he found Duker, who made a perfectly timed run in front of the Westfield net.
Amherst controlled the run of play during the majority of the first half, but with only ten minutes left until halftime, Westfield State junior Nick Gunlaw (Agawam, MA) scored the Owls' lone goal, after a long throw-in was deflected by Amherst goalie Jeff Grover (Framingham, MA).
Both teams regrouped at halftime, and came out gunning in the second stanza, as the back and forth game seemingly would go to whomever could net a second tally. Duker repeated his first half performance, and scored his second goal of the game in the 13th minute of the second half, this time off a junior Ryan O'Donnell (Belchertown, MA) feed.
The foul count grew in the waning minutes, and Westfield fell to ten men after a red card. Amherst was able to tack on an insurance goal with just 0:49 seconds left in regulation as first year Rob Denious (Bloomfield Hills, MI) blasted home a shot from just inside the 18-yard box. The assist came again from O'Donnell, as Denious beat a Westfield State defender with a nice move before blasting home the Lord Jeffs third score.
Both goalies were tested often, but only Grover was able to improve his starting record after making three saves. Westfield State junior Mark Tiffany (Easthampton, MA) made nine saves in net for the Owls in the loss.
WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE vs. WHEATON COLLEGE
In the second match-up, Western New England and Wheaton played a tough game throughout the 90 minutes. Wheaton controlled the better part of first half possession, creating a number of promising chances, while WNEC was able to spark a few different counter-attacks, which could have easily resulted in scores. After an entertaining first half, the score remained notched at zero into halftime.
Just 1:09 into the second half, Western New England broke the tie when senior forward Evan Heymann (Ipswich, MA) pumped home a shot, which caromed off a Wheaton backer and into the side-netting. The goal changed the mood of the match and created urgency in the play of Wheaton.
Western New England notched its second goal of the game when senior Scott Rogers (Middlefield, CT) pounced on a rebound that fell to the Wheaton goal line. The opportunity was created off a hard shot from distance by the electric Kofi Oteng (Worcester, MA).
Wheaton brought the game back to a one goal deficit in the 64th minute, when sophomore forward Dan Lane (Dedham, MA) was sent down the left alley by junior Trevor Cote (Portsmouth, RI), and neatly placed a shot into the far upper corner.
The Golden Bears almost added in a third goal with thirteen minutes remaining when sophomore defender Jim Maples (Pleasant Valley, NY) headed a free kick to the far post, which made the Wheaton keeper Matt Pachnuk (Newtown, CT) sprawl for the save.
The score remained at 2-1 in the favor of Western New England as time expired, on a Wheaton final push. Pachnuk finished the day with half a dozen saves, as his counterpart Chris Wilk (Derry, NH) wrapped up with six saves of his own.
Western New England advances to face host Amherst at 1:00 p.m. at Hitchcock Field.
