MEDFORD, Mass. – Unable to find the back of the goal, the No. 4 Amherst College men's soccer team suffered its first loss of the season, 3-0 to NESCAC foe Tufts University Saturday afternoon at Bello Field.

With the loss, Amherst falls to 6-1-1 on the season and to 2-1-1 in league play, while Tufts improves to 4-3-1 overall and to 2-1-1 in the NESCAC. Amherst returns to action tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 2 when they welcome Bates to Hitchcock Field for a 3 p.m. conference bout, while the Jumbos take on Hamilton on Oct. 2 at 1:30 p.m.

Amherst earned the game's first scoring opportunity in the sixth minute, as Bijan Zojaji '20 sent a header towards goal, but Jumbo goalkeeper Scott Greenwood was there to deny the attempt.

Amherst goalie Lee Owen '18 was also forced to make several impressive stops early in the outing, as Owen logged athletic saves against Zach Halliday and Sterling Weatherbie in the 13th and 14th minutes, respectively.

Gaston Becherano tallied what proved to be the game-winner for the Jumbos 16:42 into the matchup. Finding open space, Zach Halliday powered a shot on goal that was turned away by Owen, however Becherano gathered the rebound and sent a shot into the netting to notch his team-leading sixth goal of the year.

Ratcheting up the offensive pressure, Bryce Ciambella '17 fired a shot on net in the 19th minute that nearly earned Amherst the equalizer, but Greenwood was just able to get his hands on the ball.

Tufts doubled its lead at the 30:40 mark, as Matt Zinner rifled an unassisted goal into the bottom left corner of the net.

Keeping the momentum, the Jumbos tried to extend their lead to three less than a minute later as Joseph Braun blasted a shot on goal, but Owen proved up to the task.

Nathan Majumder found the back of the net for a third and final time for the Jumbos with 4:36 remaining in the game, as he collected a perfectly placed pass from Gavin Tasker and drove a shot into the goal.

GAME NOTES

• Owen (6-1-1) registered fives saves for Amherst in the losing effort, while Greenwood (3-2-1) made four saves for the Jumbos in the win.
• Tufts edged Amherst in shots, 18-12, while the Purple & White owned a 5-4 advantage in corner opportunities.
• Christopher Martin '17 and Andrew Orozco '17 led Amherst in shots with three each, while four different Purple & White players put a shot on target.
• Kevin Halliday led the matchup with four shots, including two shots on frame, while Nathan Majumder took three shots for the Jumbos.