AMHERST, MA – The Amherst College men's lacrosse team saw its season come to an end this afternoon, despite an impressive performance for a 17-12 win over visiting Colby College. The Lord Jeffs took care of business for the victory at Gooding Field, but did not get the help needed in other NESCAC action to make the upcoming conference tournament.
With an overall 8-7 record, Amherst finished at 3-6 and in the NESCAC, and needed both Bates College and Williams College to lose today in order to secure a playoff spot. The Lord Jeffs were just 16 seconds away from a playoff birth, as Williams tied its game against Bowdoin with that amount showing in the fourth quarter before winning in overtime to grab the No. 6 seed. With a 3-6 record identical to Trinity College, Amherst lost the head-to-head due to an early season defeat to the Bantams.
At 6-8 overall, and 2-7 in the NESCAC, the White Mules missed out on the conference tournament as well, finishing at the bottom of the conference table.
After a slow start to the game in scoring, Amherst held a 5-3 lead at the break. The Jeffs and Mules were deadlocked at 2-2 after the first frame, before Amherst scored two goals in the final three minutes of the second quarter to pull in front for a lead it would never give up.
The style of play changed in the third quarter, as a defensive struggle gave way to a shootout. The two teams combined to score a dozen goals in the third frame, with Amherst holding a 7-5 advantage in the quarter.
The Mules out-shot Amherst 26-18 in the second half, but junior goaltender Matt Pietroforte (Brooklyn, NY) made 14 saves after the half, en route to 23 on the day. Colby's Alex Farmer made 10 stops in the loss.
Amherst was paced by another six point performance from senior Will Ferrer (Greenwich, CT) in his final game at Amherst. With three goals and three assists, Ferrer finishes this season with 24 goals and 20 assists, for 44 points. Classmate T.J. Jackson (Haverford, PA) added three goals and an assist to finish the season with a team-high 40 goals, and seven assists. Also playing in their final games for Amherst were seniors Chris Mottau (Holliston, MA), Brett Larson (Stowe, VT) and John Armideo (Homer, NY).
Finishing their season on a high-note were Amherst sophomore Tom McDonnell (Manhasset, NY) and junior Brett Miller (Wantagh, MA). McDonnell had three goals and an assist to finish with 39 goals and eight assists, while Miller dished out five assists to increase his team-leading number to 32 on the year.
Colby was paced by three goals and an assist from Whit McCarthy, and a pair of goals from each Todd Boertzel, Drew Piekarski and Stew Brown.
Notables from the game include an amazing goal from Ferrer to start the fourth quarter. After beating a pair of Colby defenders, Ferrer was drilled by a high hit and taken off his feet just yards in front of the cage. From his back, Ferrer faked a pass and shot a laser to the upper corner of the Mules' net for the final goal of his career. Junior captain Chris Fitzpatrick (Fort Salonga, NY) also scored his first goal of the season after a full field clear.
BOX SCORE
