AMHERST, MA. – A game-winning header from Niall Murphy off a first-half corner kick provided all the cushion the 2^nd-seeded Amherst College men's soccer team needed to defeat 7^th-seeded Wesleyan 1-0 in a NESCAC Quarterfinal matchup today on Hitchcock Field. 

The Mammoths came back strong off the back of a 1-1 tie against the Cardinals earlier this season. On Saturday, Oct. 7, the Mammoths fought back from a 1-0 deficit to tie the game on header goal from Laurens ten Cate with 21 seconds to go to salvage a point.

With the revenge-game win, the Mammoths will advance to face the number three seed, Connecticut College, at Middlebury next Saturday, Nov. 4 with the game slated to kick off at 1:30 p.m. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* The Mammoths put opened the game on the front foot, putting pressure on the Cardinal defense early in the match --- Ada Okorogheye almost got a goal on a one-versus-one chance in the game's first five minutes.

* That trend continued, with the Mammoths winning the game's first corner kick less than three minutes later. This is when Murphy would convert, rising above a Cardinals' defender to head home a perfect ball from Mohammed Nuhu to net the game's only goal, his fourth of the season.

* Max Landa played a solid game in goal for the Mammoths, making multiple plays on balls in the air that won't show up in the box score to keep the game in hand. The Mammoth goalie also got it done with his feet, hustling to through balls and clearing his lines effectively when called upon.
 
* The second half was defined by stellar defensive play from the Mammoths that kept the Cardinals off the scoreboard. Defender Simon Kalinauskas was all over the field all day, limiting Wesleyan's top offensive weapons to few opportunities and making his presence known in the air.
 
* In the last 10 minutes of the match, Ben Clark-Eden made multiple game-saving plays while Wesleyan pushed for an equalizer, and Murphy connected on a multiple tackles of his own, one on a dangerous opportunity in the corner of his own 18-yard box, to help keep the shutout intact.  



BY THE NUMBERS

* Today's game was the eighth meeting between the Mammoths and the Cardinals in NESCAC Tournament play. With the win, the Mammoths move to 5-2-1 all-time against the Cardinals in the NESCAC postseason series.

* The Cardinals outshot the Mammoths 11-6 during the contest, and while the Mammoths lead in shots on goal, 4-2.

* Mammoth goalkeeper Landa made two saves for his fifth shutout of the season.