David Wood (12) scored his first collegiate goal in Saturday's loss at Amherst.

AMHERST, Mass. – The 20th-ranked Amherst College men's soccer team defeated visiting NESCAC rival Bates College Saturday afternoon 6-1 in the Bobcats' first conference road game of the season. Amherst scored bookend goals in the 10th and 89th minutes, improving to 2-1 (1-1 NESCAC) on the year. Bates falls to 1-2 (0-2 NESCAC) with the result.

Amherst outshot the Bobcats 20-6, and held an 11-4 edge on corner kicks. The Lord Jeffs were the more physical team on the pitch as well, and it showed in a 19-9 fouls count.

In the 10th minute, Amherst scored off a corner kick by Nick Lynch, headed first by Ian Rothkopf and then into the net by Ryan Conti. Less than a minute later, Lynch picked up his second assist on the year with a less than planned pass. After what looked like a Lynch shot that went way off target found its way to the foot of striker Jake Duker, Lynch grabbed another helper as Duker calmly beat Bates first-year goalie Greg Watts (West Chester, Pa.).

Duker tallied his second goal of the game in the 21st minute, before senior Grayson Holland pumped in a feed from Thebe Tsatimpe in the 27th minute.

Coming out of halftime, Bates looked as though they might pressure the lead with some early strain on the Amherst backline. The Jeffs held off the surge in energy from the Bobcats, and responded with a goal by Jay Heo in the 76th minute.

Bates responded just 65 seconds later, as first-year David Wood (Contoocook, N.H.) beat a defender and slotted a shot under Amherst goalie Jeff Grover. With the Bobcats trailing 5-1 at that point, the goal looked as though it would be too little, too late.

Heo scored again in the 89th minute to cap the game off for the Lord Jeffs on a feed from first-year Henry Rouse.

Grover was credited with five saves in 87 minutes of action, while Watts made 7 saves, going the distance in net for Bates.

Bates hosts Plymouth State in a non-league contest on Wednesday at 4 p.m.

STATS: Amherst 6, Bates 1