AIC tops UMass

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--American International College had success playing in the mud as they took down their Pioneer Valley rivals with a 34-8 win over the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. AIC improves to 4-0 on the fall campaign.

The men played in the early afternoon on the grass field of UMass and heavy rains turned the pitch into a mud pit. Nevertheless, the visitors were able to strike first after a lengthy battle, as Christian Adams punched the ball down in the try zone in the seventeenth minute to make it 5-0 AIC. Only a minute later, he slipped through the defense to score again, and Bryce Neff converted to make the score 12-0.

"I was very pleased with the team's ability to adjust our style of play to meet the wet conditions. We missed the turf of Abdow field once we were trudging through the mud at UMASS in the pouring rain," said head coach Josh Macy. "Nevertheless, Jihad Khabir and Kurt Werner did a great job of guiding the team into a more kick-heavy territorial game. Our wings, [Deshae] Edwards and Adams, did a great job of pressuring down field and turning opportunities into points."

UMass did manage a few points in the first half, taking advantage of a penalty on AIC to kick a ball through in the 35th minute to make it 12-3, but that was as close as the score would get.

In the second half, Neff scored on a penalty kick to put the Jackets up 15-3 in the 43rd minute. Eight minutes later, Adams completed the hat trick, scoring a try to put his side up 20-3, and Neff's subsequent conversion put the score to 22-3.

In the 58th minute, Khabir scored his first of the game, and Neff rounded out AIC's scoring with a try and conversion combination in the 66th minute. The Minutemen had the final points of the game with a try two minutes later, but that hardly bothered Macy in his assessment of his team's play.

"UMASS challenged us when they had the ball, and they have some guys who love to run. It was just what we needed as we head into the next few crucial weeks in our conference play," he said.

The squads continues their season on October 11 with a match at Boston College. The kick off is scheduled to be at 1:30 p.m.