Courtesy Amherst Sports Information

Box Score

AMHERST, Mass. - Amherst bounced back from a 1-0 deficit in the first half by scoring two goals in the second en route to a 2-1 victory over Bowdoin in the semifinals of the 2007 NESCAC Men's Soccer Championship on Saturday afternoon. The top-seeded Lord Jeffs will take on second-seeded Middlebury for the 2007 NESCAC Men's Soccer Championship on Sunday at Gooding Field at 12:00 p.m.

In the only meeting of the season between the two sides, Amherst handed Bowdoin a 3-0 defeat on this same field, and the Polar Bears clearly wanted to turn the tides against the Jeffs in the tournament.

The two sides played step-for-step throughout the first frame, with Bowdoin senior Nick Figueiredo (Wilmington, Mass.) breaking through in the 35^th minute. Teammate Tim Prior (Georgetown, Mass.) swung a low cross in to Figueiredo for a near post run, where the striker cleanly tucked the ball past Amherst goalie Jeff Grover (Framingham, Mass.). The score was Figueiredo's tenth goal of the year, and broke the Bowdoin all-time point record with 88.

Amherst, a team which had lost just a single game all season long, remained composed and confident heading back onto the pitch after halftime trailing just 1-0. For an offense that had scored nearly 3 goals-per-game all season, it seemed only a matter of time before the Jeffs offense would strike.

That moment came in the 57^th minute from junior Nick Lynch (Kingston, Jamaica). Senior Kevin Dolan (Peabody, Mass.) set-up Lynch with a nifty ball after a step-over crossed up a Bowdoin back. Lynch drove a hard shot to the lower corner for the equalizer.

Amherst kept its high-pressure game plan over the next quarter-hour, and found the game-winner in the 69^th minute from an unlikely hero. First-year substitute Ian Rothkopf (Harvard, Mass.) scored the goal off a cross from Lynch on a free kick. The 6'3" striker rose above the crowd to hammer home a header for his fourth collegiate goal, and second game-winner of the season.