Duker stands out for Amherst squad

Jake Duker (inset) of Newton, a senior soccer captain at Amherst College, helped send the Lord Jeffs to last weekend's NCAA Division 3 semifinals in Greensboro, N.C., with a goal in the 87th minute that made the difference in a 1-0 upset of Trinity College of Texas.

Although the Jeffs were eliminated by Stevens Tech, 4-1, in the semifinals, Duker netted his team's only goal, and in the process set unofficial (post-1995) records for single-season and career goals and points at Amherst.

Trinity was ranked No. 1 nationally and had lost one game in two years, while Amherst, which won the New England Small College Athletic Conference title for the first time in program history, finished with a 15-4-3 record, including a 10-1-3 mark over its final 14 matches.

Duker, whose brothers Bear (Tufts University) and Sam (Belmont Hill School) also captained their respective soccer teams this fall, had notched 16 goals and 35 points for the season, and finished his collegiate career with 34 goals and 82 points. He was named to the NESCAC's first team and ESPN All-Academic second team this fall.

The 5-foot-11-inch, 175-pound Duker had a number of big games down the stretch: A goal and an assist in the NESCAC championship, a 2-0 victory over defending national champion Middlebury, and the lone goal, in the 68th minute, to defeat St. Lawrence in the second round of the tournament.

Grayson Holland of Sudbury, who prepped with Duker at Belmont Hill, anchored the Amherst defense along with fellow captain Rory O'Connor, a West Boylston resident who attended St. John's High of Shrewsbury. Holland was a first team all-conference pick.

The Amherst roster also included junior starting defender Matt Lewis of Wayland, who attended Belmont Hill, senior goalkeeper Jeff Grover, a graduate of Framingham High, and freshman defender Dave Masterman of Needham, a Noble & Greenough School graduate.

Sam Duker, meanwhile, led Belmont Hill to the program's first Independent School League title since 2005 this fall, when he was second among ISL scorers and was a first team all-league choice.

Brett Moore of Medfield is off to a hot start for the Connecticut College hockey team, with three goals and a team-leading nine points through eight games. The junior right wing and former Lawrence Academy star scored twice, including the winner in overtime to give the Camels (5-2-1) their first victory of the season, 6-5, over Wentworth. He also assisted on both goals in a 2-1 win over previously undefeated New England College.

Moore is joined on the roster by senior defensemen Brian Warner of Waltham, who attended Avon Old Farms, and Shawn Keefe, a Waltham High graduate.

"Brett is one of our hardest working players on and off the ice and he's making good steps this year toward his potential. He's always been able to get in position to score but this year, he's finishing," said head coach Jim Ward. "Brian takes a regular shift on defense and we look for his offensive upside on the power play and Keefer makes the most of his ability and is an important part of our senior class."

Moore's brother, Colin, is a freshman forward on the Harvard University hockey team, while Warner's older brothers, Mike (forward) and Tim (goalie) were teammates at the University of Massachusetts.

Waltham's Tom Duquette, a sophomore at Massachusetts Bay Community College, won the welterweight title at the recent New England Open Amateur Boxing Championships in Portland, Maine, by decisioning two opponents in four-round bouts.

The tournament is a major American competition with potential Olympic trial rewards down the line. Duquette, a graduate of Waltham High, will advance to Lake Placid, N.Y., for the regionals in March, and a victory there would earn the 2007 Lowell Golden Gloves champ an invitation to the nationals in June. Duquette, who has a 43-10 career record, trains at Boston Boxing in Allston.

Denise Beliveau, a former Framingham High all-scholastic, is missing the start of her second season on the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team. The America East Conference's Rookie of the Year last season, the 6-foot forward underwent knee surgery over the summer and is eyeing a return in the second semester . . . Chris Vaillant of Holliston led the Western New England College football team with 46 receptions in 10 games for 420 yards and four touchdowns. The junior ranked eighth in the New England Football Conference in receptions per game . . . Waltham High grad Clint Marchese, a senior at Amherst College, was recently named a cocaptain for the varsity lacrosse team. He was member of the NESCAC all-academic team last spring . . . Josh Danesh of Brookline, a senior cocaptain on the boys' soccer team at Gann Academy, has agreed to play for Northeastern University, becoming the first athlete from the Waltham school to earn a Division 1 scholarship.

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@rcn.com.