Amherst is the 2015 men's champion

By D3Soccer.com contributor

Amherst celebrates their first-ever national title in men's soccer Amherst athletics

Having spent much of the season as the consensus No. 1 team, Amherst won its first National Championship in school history with a 2-1 victory over Loras. In a game that featured more clear-cut chances than many would have expected, the Lord Jeffs faced a stern test from the Duhawks, and fell behind for just the third time this season to a first-half goal from Johnny Rummelhart, but stormed back to equalize through Jackson Lenhart just a few minutes later before Bryce Ciambella scored a second-half winner to make it two NESCAC champions in two years.

First Half

In a significant contrast to the Lord Jeffs' semifinal matchup with Oneonta State, the opening stanza featured an abundance of opportunities. Just over two minutes in, Amherst striker Greg Singer attempted a bicycle kick that was headed off the line by a Loras defender. Instead of propelling Amherst towards the opening goal, Loras went down the other end of the field and scored on their first real attack of the game.  Alex Bradley struck a shot from just outside the 18, and while the effort appeared to be relatively harmless at first glance, Rummelhart was “Johnny on the Spot,” so to speak, tapping the ball past Amherst netminder Thomas Bull and in for a 1-0 advantage.

Amherst junior Chris Martin and Loras junior Alex Bradley fight for control during Saturday's championship match Amherst athletics

At that point, it appeared that the game would end up consisting of Amherst attacking and Loras looking to take advantage of opportunities on the break. But Amherst didn’t have to wait long to get the equalizer, as Lenhart headed home a corner from Luke Nguyen less than five minutes after the Duhawks opened the scoring.

Amherst went back on the attack, and had several good chances to take the lead: Singer was once again denied by a man on the line and Cameron Bean somehow failed to convert from a few yards out, being denied by a great save from Loras goalkeeper Jacob Peterson. The Duhawks, for their part, had a chance when Bull cleaned out Rummelhart, who would have been in on goal, and it at first appeared that the Jeffs could face the double-whammy of conceding a PK and losing their goalie to a red card. However, the foul occurred just outside the box, and Bull was only issued a yellow for his gamble, so Amherst avoided significant trouble.

Second Half

In contrast to the first half, Loras came flying out of the gates. The Duhawks looked significantly more threatening in the first few minutes of the new half, and Bull made an impressive save from Rummelhart as the Loras man broke in on goal.

Amherst junior Jackson Lehnhart scored in the first half to draw even with Loras Amherst athletics

That save proved incredibly pivotal. Just over two minutes later, with 35:06 to play, the Lord Jeffs went down the other end where Ciambella claimed the ball, cut inside from the left, and curled a screamer past Peterson into the far corner for a 2-1 advantage.

Amherst’s striking trio then had an opportunity to put the game beyond Loras. Nico Pascual-Leone, who had been quiet all night, slid a ball through for Singer. The center forward hit a shot that Peterson saved, before Martin followed up with the rebound. And while the Lord Jeffs appealed for handball, as the ball appeared to strike a Loras player’s arm on its way towards goal, the referee awarded a corner, giving the Duhawks a lifeline.

However, they were unable to take advantage. Despite a plethora of shots down the stretch, the Amherst defense held firm as it has all year, and Bull was his usual self: commanding on crosses and doing everything to keep the ball out of his net. With less than five minutes left, Peterson came up to join the attack. And while he had a chance to get his head on a long throw with less than two minutes on the clock, it ultimately came to naught, as one final clearance from an Amherst defender put the icing on the cake for the 2-1 victory, Amherst’s first championship in program history.

Epilogue

Amherst finishes its season 19-1-2, with Head Coach Justin Serpone’s first title coming in his 9th year at the helm. Loras wraps up its campaign at 18-5-1 in Dan Rothert's 18th year in charge. Both teams will lose significant firepower to graduation, particularly Amherst's Pascual-Leone and Loras' Rummelhart, but both teams should be right back in the conversation next year. And Amherst will do so with its first crown in the bag.

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