AMHERST, MA - The Amherst College men's soccer team increased its shutout streak to seven games with a 3-0 win over Saint Joseph's College of Maine Sunday afternoon on Hitchcock Field. The Lord Jeffs improve to 10-2-1 on the season, while the Monks fall to 10-7-1.

Amherst first-year Spencer Noon (Farmington, CT) entered the week leading the NESCAC in goals per game (0.75) and kept rolling on Sunday with his team-leading eighth goal of the season in the 15th minute. First-year Casey McNamara (Montclair, NJ) and junior Ryan Conti (Rochester, NY) added a goal apiece in the second half for insurance, with Noon and seniors Matt Lewis (Wayland, MA) and Reid Wilson (Portland, OR) each recording an assist on the day.

The Monks had their two-game winning streak snapped, while Amherst increased its unbeaten streak to six games. The Lord Jeffs have not allowed a goal since Oct. 3 and have since outscored opponents by an 18-0 margin.

Sharing the shutout were senior Ansel Orr (Houston, TX) and sophomore Lennard Kovacs (Wolfersdorf, Germany). Orr started and finished the game but did not need to make a save in his 24 minutes and 39 seconds of action, while Kovacs stopped one shot in 65:21.

Junior goalkeeper Will Pike made four saves in 45 minutes for the Monks, with sophomore Nick Campasano stopping six shots in the second half.

Prior to the game, Amherst honored its five members of the Class of 2010, who were playing in their final regular season home game. Joining Wilson, Orr and Lewis in the pre-game ceremonies were seniors G.L. Genco (Hauppauge, NY) and Chris Devine (Auburn, MA). Amherst's Class of 2010 has posted an overall record of 52-11-7 in the past four years, including a 20-3-3 mark at Hitchcock Field.

Amherst's first goal started to develop when sophomore James Mooney (Princeton, NJ) sent a long cross from the right wing to Devine, who played the ball back to Wilson on the left wing. Wilson played a beautiful ball into the box from 40 yards out and Noon ran on for a header that beat Pike 14:05 into the contest.

The Monks nearly tied things up in the 23rd minute on a corner kick when junior midfielder Paul Robins (Cornwall, England) played a ball into the box. Senior forward Doug MacCallum (Hingham, MA) was there to redirect it to the far post, but nobody made a run and the ball rolled wide of the goal.

Noon played a role in Amherst's second goal when he dribbled into the 18 and dropped the ball back to McNamara, who ripped a shot from the top of the box and had the ball deflect off a Monk defender past Campasano. McNamara's second goal of the season gave the hosts a 2-0 lead with 24:45 to play.

The Jeffs would make it a 3-0 game just seven minutes later. First-year Jelani Rooks (Princeton, NJ) sent a cross to classmate Robert Gooden (Atlanta, GA), whose left-footed shot was headed for the side netting but was knocked out of bounds by a diving Campasano. On the ensuing corner kick, Lewis beat a pair of Monk defenders and hit a perfect ball into the box from the end line, with Conti using his head to mark his first goal of the season.

Campasano made several diving saves in the second half, but the Amherst attack proved to be too much to handle. The Lord Jeffs held a 25-2 edge in shots on the day.

The Lord Jeffs will wrap up their regular season Friday, Oct. 30 when they travel to take on nationally-ranked Trinity College at 3:00 PM in a crucial NESCAC game. The Monks will conclude their regular season Wednesday, Oct. 28 when they host Rivier at 3:00 PM on Senior Day.

COURTESY OF AMHERST COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

 St. Joseph's (Me.) (10-7-1) vs. Amherst College (10-2-1)
Date: Oct 25, 2009  Attendance: 150
Weather: Sunny and breezy

Goals by period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------
St. Joseph's (Me.)..  0  0 -  0
Amherst College.....  1  2 -  3

SCORING SUMMARY:
  1.  14:05 AMH Spencer Noon (Reid Wilson) - beautiful service in from Reid Wilson, glancing header far post Noon
  2.  65:15 AMH Casey McNamara (Spencer Noon) - Spencer takeover top of box, lay back to Casey for shot-deflected inn
  3.  72:40 AMH Ryan Conti (Matt Lewis) - Off short corner, Matt Lewis to endline, cross back for header...

Shots: St. Joseph's (Me.) 2, Amherst College 25
Saves: St. Joseph's (Me.) 10 (Will Pike 4; Nick Campasano 6), Amherst
College 1 (Lennard Kovacs 1)
2009 Amherst College Senior Day
Seniors Ansel Orr, Greg Genco, Matt Lewis, Chris Devine
and Reid Wilson honored before the game