WATERVILLE, Maine – Junior attack Bob Gross recorded four goals as the Amherst College men's lacrosse team stormed back in the second half to secure a 14-8 victory over Colby College on Saturday afternoon.

Colby started strong, tying the game at 3-3 by the end of the first quarter and extending it to 6-3 midway through the second. However, Amherst surged in the second half, outscoring the Mules 5-1 in the third quarter to take control of the game. The Mammoths' defense tightened after halftime, allowing just two Colby goals in the final 30 minutes.

With the win, Amherst improved to 4-0 on the season, while Colby fell to 1-3. The Mammoths will return to face Denison University on Thursday at noon in Sparks, Maryland.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Brendan Reilly opened the scoring at 10:05 in the first quarter with an unassisted goal to put Amherst up 1-0. Less than a minute later, Matthew Sheinberg added another for a quick 2-0 lead. Colby responded with goals from Will Steele and Bennett Goller to tie the game at 2-2.

* Amherst regained the lead at 2:16 in the first when Alex Vlacich found the net off a Gross assist. Colby, however, equalized again with just 28 seconds left in the quarter as Jackson Alvord scored off a Brooks Rayment assist, making it 3-3 heading into the second.

* Colby took control early in the second quarter, as Goller and Gavin Rothenberg each scored unassisted, followed by a goal from Steele assisted by Alvord to give the Mules a 6-3 advantage. Amherst battled back, with Bennett Chow and Reilly each scoring to cut the deficit to 6-5 by halftime.

* The Mammoths dominated the third quarter. Alex Giacobbe tied the game at 14:11 off a feed from Willie Doyle. Six minutes later, Gross put Amherst ahead with back-to-back goals, one assisted by Chow and the other unassisted. Giacobbe added another at 7:34 off a Gross assist before Gross netted his third goal of the game just 17 seconds later, extending Amherst's lead to 9-6. Chow closed out the dominant quarter with a goal at 6:35, assisted by Gross, making it 10-6 Amherst.

* Colby attempted to rally with a late goal from Rothenberg at 3:26 in the third, but Amherst's offense continued pressing in the fourth. Gross struck again at 14:12, unassisted, and just 16 seconds later, he scored another Amherst goal with an assist from Reilly. Giacobbe sealed the victory with his third goal at 4:27, assisted by Reilly, before Colby's Rothenberg tallied one final goal at 2:05 to bring the score to 13-8. Amherst's Max Youssefnia added one last goal in the final minute to cap off the win, making the final score 14-8.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Amherst outshot Colby, 45-29.

* The Mammoths won 16 of 25 faceoffs.

* Amherst picked up 36 ground balls compared to Colby's 29.

* Goalkeeper Brooks Catlin recorded 9 saves for Amherst, while Colby's netminder made 15 saves.