AMHERST — The Amherst College men’s soccer team suffered its first regular-season home loss since 2011 on Saturday.
No. 15 Middlebury held the No. 10 Mammoths scoreless in a 1-0 victory at Hitchcock Field.
Middlebury (1-1-0 NESCAC) moved to 3-1-0 overall. Amherst fell to 1-1-0 overall and in the conference.
The Mammoths had been 24-0-2 in their last 26 home games since the start of the 2012 season. Amherst lost its regular season finale in 2011.
“Any team can beat any team on any Saturday,” Amherst coach Justin Serpone said.
The match had a dull start, with no score and a combined 20 fouls in the first half. Both goalies, Amherst’s Lee Owen and Middlebury’s Jeremy Yeager, had two saves each.
“I wasn’t disappointed with the chances we created,” Serpone said. “I think we created some pretty good chances.”
Less than six minutes into the second half, Amherst fouled Panther Jed Sass, who scored Middlebury’s only goal with a penalty kick.
“We’re going to use today as a learning experience,” Serpone said. “I think that this is a lesson for us.”
With 16 freshmen and sophomores, including first-year defender Bryce Johnson, who has made himself known for his flip throws, Serpone knows his team has a long way to go.
The Mammoths won the Division III national championship in 2015 and the NESCAC championship in 2016.
“Our program isn’t about winning championships,” Serpone said. “It’s about winning the next game.”
Amherst visits Williams on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Nicole Reiner is a UMass student and can be reached at nreiner@umass.edu.