LEWISTON, ME – The Amherst College men's soccer team easily defeated the Bobcats of Bates College on the road this afternoon, registering a 3-0 win. Amherst improves to 4-0-0 on the season, including a perfect 2-0-0 in the NESCAC.

Amherst played a beautiful 90 minutes of soccer at host Bates, scoring a pair of goals in the first half, and adding a third with just 14 minutes remaining in the game. The Jeffs received a boost from its usual suspects this afternoon, with the trio of seniors Kevin Dolan (Peabody, MA), John Kneeland (Holden, MA) and Taylor Downs (Hastings-on-Hudson, NY) each recording goals.

Dolan struck first for the Lord Jeffs, settling the ball before lining a shot from outside the penalty area past Bates goalie Robert Wesley-Munro and into the upper-right near corner of the goal in the fourth minute of the first half. Downs was credited with the assist.

Downs assisted classmate and fellow tri-captain Kneeland with a cross that Kneeland one-timed into the net for a 2-0 lead in the 28th minute.

Downs scored a goal himself with under 14 minutes left in the game, volleying a free kick from Amherst's half of the field by junior Rory O'Connor (West Boylston, MA) past Bates senior goalie Aaron Schleicher, who was a halftime substitution for the Bobcats.

The NESCAC match-up was quite physical, and included 26 total fouls and five yellow cards, three for Bates and two for Amherst.

Wesley-Munro made two saves in the first half, and Schleicher made three in the second. Amherst's Jeff Grover (Framingham, MA) made a handful of saves in net for Amherst for the complete-game shutout.

Amherst returns to action after an off-week when the Jeffs travel to Tufts University next Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. match.