Amherst College’s Mohammed Nuhu scored the game-winning penalty kick Thursday night to lift the Mammoths past Middlebury and into the NCAA Div. III national championship game. PHOTO BY AMHERST COLLEGE ATHLETICS
By RYAN AMES
Staff Writer
One more to go.
The Amherst College men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Division III title game after beating Middlebury, 2-1, during the Final Four semifinal Thursday night in Las Vegas.
The Mammoths secured two second-half goals versus the Panthers to return to the championship game for the second straight season.
After a scoreless first half, Amherst notched the game’s first goal about a minute into the second frame. Simon Kalinauskas headed in a corner-kick from Jacob Dinzeo at 46:16 to give the Mammoths the 1-0 lead.
Middlebury evened the score at 1-1 on a strike from Tyler Payne nearly three minutes after Amherst’s opening tally. Following a scramble inside the Mammoths’ box, Payne booted in the loose ball with a mid-air kick that eluded Amherst goalkeeper Max Landa and into the bottom left corner at 49:35.
The Mammoths took advantage of a penalty-kick opportunity later on in the period to re-take the lead. Following a video review from the referee, Mohammed Nuhu blasted in the PK past Middlebury keeper Joey Waterman, who got a piece of the ball with his hand but couldn’t deter it from entering the net.
The Panthers were nearly awarded a penalty kick themselves following an aggressive challenge from a Mammoths defender inside the box minutes after Nuhu’s marker. However, the ref determined there was no foul on the play following another video review.
Nuhu led Amherst in goals during the regular season and netted its most important goal of the season on Thursday with the eventual game-winner at 65:37.
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In typical fashion between the two teams, Thursday’s contest was another tight battle as it concluded as the 12th consecutive one-goal/draw contest. The lone regular-season meeting between the NESCAC rivals finished as a 1-1 tie on Sept. 21 in Amherst.
Thursday’s bout saw Amherst accumulate 13 shots (three on goal), while Middlebury mustered 10 shots (three on goal). Both sides registered four corners, with the Mammoths scoring on their first attempt in the second half.
Amherst (15-2-4) will play the winner of Connecticut College and Washington & Lee in the national championship game back in Las Vegas on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Mammoths fell to St. Olaf College, 2-1 in overtime, in last year’s title game.
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