AMHERST, Mass. – It took just 27 seconds for Christopher Martin '17 to find the back of the net, and the early goal proved to be the eventual game-winner as the 10th-ranked Amherst College men's soccer team held on to defeat NESCAC rival Middlebury College, 1-0 Saturday afternoon at Hitchcock Field.

"I'm proud of how many members of our team contributed to today's win," said head coach Justin Serpone. "We've already had a bunch of injuries and people have stepped up huge.  It's early in the season, but it's definitely encouraging."

The Purple & White (4-0-0, 2-0-0 NESCAC) remain undefeated following the win as they hand the Panthers (3-1-0, 1-1-0 NESCAC) their first loss of the 2015 season.

"In my opinion, Middlebury is one of the best teams in the country," Serpone added. "They fought hard for ninety minutes today and the game could have gone either way. They are as good as any team out there."

Amherst was on the offensive as soon as the whistle blew Saturday and immediately brought the ball into the visitor's end. With just seconds into regulation, junior  Andrew Orozco's header from the left side of the box found Christopher Martin '17 near the six-yard line as the junior forward sent a header into the top right corner of the net, out of goalkeeper Greg Sydor's reach, to put the Jeffs up early, 1-0.

The Purple & White had an opportunity to increase their lead with just over 19 minutes remaining in regulation, when Jackson Lehnhart '17 sent a header to Greg Singer '16 inside the 18-yard line but his attempt was saved. Minutes later, Amherst had another strong chance that was derailed by Sydor, who made a spectacular diving save following a shot by Luke Nguyen '18 that could have put the home team up by two.

After a one-sided first half in which the Purple & White outshot Middlebury 10-2, the second half featured an even contest with eight shots a piece.

In the 70th minute, Singer received a pass inside the 18 and had a clear attempt on net, but Sydor got a finger on the ball to redirect the shot out of bounds.

Middlebury's best chance to even the score occurred just minutes later as the Panthers applied heavy pressure offensively. Adam Glaser pulled in a cross pass near the center of the six-yard line, directly in front of Amherst goalkeeper Thomas Bull '16, who deflected the shot to maintain the lead. Following a scrum in front of net, the home team eventually cleared it.

The Purple & White held on to defeat the Panthers as they outshot the visitor's 18-10, and held a 4-1 edge in corner kicks. Bull recorded his fourth shutout in as many appearances, and made four saves. Sydor stopped seven shots in a losing effort.

Amherst returns to the pitch tomorrow, Sept. 20 and will head to Elms for a 2 p.m. contest.

"We need to refocus for a good Elms team tomorrow," said Serpone. "It's important to be able to play back-to-back games in division III soccer, and tomorrow will be a tough test."