The Amherst College men’s soccer team will return to the field despite its early loss in the NESCAC Tournament.
The Mammoths received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament Monday.
The Mammoths lost 4-3 to Hamilton in the conference quarterfinals, ending their bid to defending their championship.
Amherst coach Justin Serpone is on the national selection committee and knew his team was in before the players. It wasn’t until his players watched the selection show when they were informed to break the cleats back out.
“We’ve been spoiled. This is the 12th straight year that we’re in the tournament,” Serpone said. “That’s the expectation, certainly we don’t make any plans in the middle of November for vacations or going home or anything, we’re expected to be playing right now. But also grateful to have the opportunity.”
Amherst College will host a regional pod in the tournament.
In the first round at Hitchcock Field Saturday, Amherst (11-3-2) will play Salem State (12-5-1) at 11 a.m. Springfield College (14-1-2) will play Endicott (13-4-3) at 1:30. The winners will play at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the second round.
“Result aside, the NESCAC quarterfinals were so disappointing,” Serpone said. “I don’t really care about who we’re playing, when we’re playing them; we need to set the tone for our mistakes and just be better.”
Last year, the Mammoths reached the Sweet 16 where they battled Brandeis to a 1-1 double-overtime tie, but fell 3-1 in penalty kicks.
While the upperclassmen have tournament experience, Serpone hopes the underclassmen understand the importance of these games.
“We have five first years to start and for them they’re going to need to quickly acclimate to playing in games where it’s some senior’s last soccer game ever,” Serpone said. “That’s a different animal. So we’ve got to get them aware and understanding pretty quickly.”