Amherst coach Justin Serpone: We need to avoid another slow start

Outside back Jack O'Brien is a returning veteran for Amherst. (Chris Wright, Clarus Studios Inc.)

When the dust settled on an uneven Amherst College soccer season last November, the view was a familiar one.

A 3-0 loss to Tufts, the eventual national champion, stopped another Amherst season in the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16. It was the third straight year that round served as the end point to a Mammoths’ campaign that saw them lose consecutive games for the first time in head coach Justin Serpone’s 12-year tenure.

The loss also marked the end of the career of standout midfielder Luke Nguyen (Old Lyme, Conn.), an All-NESCAC and All-New England player who was the strongest remaining link from the national championship team of 2015.