Co-captain Aaron Nickelsberg and the Bates men's soccer team fell 1-0 at No. 10 Amherst on Sept. 28, 2014. (File photo by Sarah Crosby/Bates College)

AMHERST, Mass. -- Amherst received a goal from Christopher Martin early in the second half to help lift the No. 10 nationally ranked Jeffs to a 1-0 victory over the Bates men's soccer team on Sunday afternoon at Hitchcock Field.

With the win, Amherst improves to 5-0-2 overall, 4-0-2 in NESCAC play and has extended its unbeaten streak in conference play to 26 games. Bates moves to 1-7-1 overall, 1-5-0 in league action.

Bates junior goalkeeper Sam Polito (Far Hills, N.J.) turned away nine of the Jeffs' 10 shots on target, as Amherst held a 26-8 advantage in shots.

After a scoreless first period which saw Amherst control the run of play, outshooting the Bobcats 11-3, the Jeffs broke the scoreless deadlock when Nico Pascual-Leone intercepted a throw-in, dribbled into the box, and delivered a sensational cross to Martin, who came sprinting in and finished with his second goal of the season to give Amherst a 1-0 lead.

That was all the Jeffs needed as stellar play from the backline, which included Justin Aoyama, Bryce Ciambella, Rohan Sood and Gabriel Wirz, was able to thwart Bates' offensive outbreaks.

Thomas Bull recorded his third clean sheet of the season, making two saves in the process.

The Jeffs also enjoyed a 10-2 differential in corner kicks, and almost netted a goal from the set piece when a loose ball following a Heo shot was blasted off the cross bar by Greg Singer midway through the first stanza.

Bates will host Newbury College in a non-conference game Wednesday at 8pm.