Justin Simon '08 (facing camera) is congratulated by Brent Morin '08 (left) and another teammate after scoring what would become the game-winning goal in the second quarter.

LEWISTON, Maine -- Bates College's men's lacrosse team handed Amherst College its first loss of the season with a 9-4 NESCAC conference win Saturday at Campus Avenue Field.

Bates gets its first conference win and raises its record to 2-5, 1-2 in NESCAC play. The Lord Jeffs drop to 5-1 overall and 0-1 in conference.

Bates held Amherst to only a single goal in each period, as senior goalie Will Paddock (Denver, Colo.) collected 10 saves. The Bobcats also outshot the Lord Jeffs in every period but the fourth, amassing a 39-24 advantage in shots taken. Amherst junior goalie Matt Pietroforte (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was put to the test and came up with 17 saves, while being aided by his goalposts and crossbar numerous other times, particularly in the middle two quarters, when Bates outshot Amherst by a 25-8 margin and Pietroforte made 13 of his saves.

Sean O'Brien '09 looks for a cutter while Amherst goalie Matt Pietroforte keeps his eye on O'Brien.

Bates sophomore defender Michael Nadler (Northborough, Mass.) sparked the Bobcats with two goals in the second half, both coming unassisted after scooping ground balls in the Bates end. Nadler pulled off the feat just 1:13 into the third quarter to give Bates a 4-2 lead. Then in the fourth quarter he forced an Amherst turnover while Bates was at a man-down disadvantage, got the ground ball and scored to make it 7-3 with 7:25 left in the game.

Junior Tyler Moore (North Andover, Mass.) also scored twice for Bates, while seniors Brent Morin (Hanover, N.H.) and Justin Simon (Canaan, N.H.) both came up with a goal and an assist. Simon tied with Paddock for the team lead with five ground balls.

Senior T.J. Jackson (Haverford, Pa.) scored twice for the Lord Jeffs. Sophomore Tom McDonnell (Manhasset, N.Y.) and junior Tim Thornton (Garden City, N.Y.) also scored.

Bates senior Bryan Frates (Woodstock, Vt.) scored first for Bates in the first minute of the game, an unassisted tally coming off a faceoff won by senior Craig Blake (Ballston Lake, N.Y.), who was 3-4 on the day at the faceoff X.

McDonnell and Jackson sandwiched a score by Bates junior Sam Geller (Berkeley, Calif.) to tie the game for the final time at 2-2 with 12:26 left in the second quarter.

Simon scored what would become the game-winning goal with 6:23 left in the half, scoring off a rebounded save of a Frates shot for a 3-2 lead.

Nadler made it 4-2 early in the third quarter, and Moore made it 5-2 with a man-up goal with 12:26 left in the third.

Thornton scored on an assist by Amherst sophomore Matt Kellman (Wilton, Conn.) with 9:47 left in the third, but first-year Cody Newman (Montclair, N.J.), won the ensuing faceoff (he was 6-11 on the day), and Simon scooped the ground ball and quickly dished to Moore for the finish, giving Bates a three-goal lead again at 6-3.

The teams went scoreless for the next 17 minutes, before Nadler notched his unassisted goal with 7:25 left in the game, creating the biggest rise of the day from the Bates bench and spectators.

Jackson scored a man-up goal with 6:43 left in the game to close it to 7-4, but Morin assisted senior Mike Medeiros (Concord, Mass.) on a goal just 38 seconds later, after a ground ball collected by Bates junior Matt Knortz (East Granby, Conn.), to virtually put the game out of Amherst's reach at 8-4 with 6:05 left to play.

Morin added an insurance goal with 2:28 remaining after rebounding a Geller shot that hit the crossbar.

Bates will next play at Williams College on Saturday, March 29 at 12 p.m. Amherst will host Skidmore in a non-league game on Tuesday.

BOX SCORE: Bates 9, Amherst 4