LEWISTON, Maine – Amherst College senior Nico Pascual-Leone found the back of the net three times to help lift the second-ranked Purple & White to a convincing, 3-0 win over NESCAC foe Bates College Sunday afternoon at Russell Street Field in Lewiston, Maine. 

RECORDS
Amherst (13-0-0, 8-0-0 NESCAC)
Bates (7-4-2, 2-4-2 NESCAC)

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

• In the first 45 minutes of action, Amherst held a 13-6 advantage in shots, and a 7-2 margin in shots on goal.
• Cameron Bean '17 and Christopher Martin '17 notched two shots on target each in the first half, but it was Pascual-Leone who broke through in the 23rd minute with the game's first goal.
• Bates goalkeeper Sam Polito made five saves in the first period, while his backline provided a clearance off the goal line to keep it a 1-0 game.
• Amherst net-minder Thomas Bull '16 turned away both shots on target that he faced in the half.
• The Purple & White continued to pressure the Bobcats' defensive third of the field, and in the 51st minute, Pascual-Leone netted his second goal of the contest following a pass from Jackson Lehnhart '17 to give Amherst a 2-0 advantage.
• Just over 20 minutes later, Lehnhart again found Pascual-Leone who connected for his third goal of the match to lift the Purple & White to a commanding, 3-0 lead.
• In the 85th minute, Bates had a chance to pull a goal back, but David Dick's header was cleared off the line by the Amherst defense to preserve the shutout.
• Pascual-Leone finished with four shots on goal to lead the visitors in the winning effort, while Greg Singer '16 fired a trio of shots on frame. Bean, Martin, and Bryce Ciambella '17 added two shots on target each in the win.
• Amherst held a 23-8 advantage in shots for the match, and a 13-3 differential in shots on goal, and owned an 8-4 edge in corner kicks.
• Polito finished with eight saves for Bates in 73:52 of action between the posts, while Robbie Montanaro made one save in 16:08 of action.  
• Bull needed just two first half saves as the stout Purple & White defense allowed the Bobcats just two shots in the second half.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Pascual-Leone has now scored six times in the last three games and has a team-leading 10 goals on the season. The hat trick was the first of his collegiate career.
• Amherst has now outscored its opponents 32-2, and kept 11 clean sheets.
• The win also clinched the top seed in the upcoming NESCAC tournament for Amherst which begins on Saturday, Oct. 31. The Purple & White last earned the number one seed in 2013. 

UP NEXT

• Amherst returns to Hitchcock Field Saturday, Oct. 24 when it hosts Wesleyan University on Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
• Bates is back in action next Saturday when it hosts Middlebury College at 2 p.m. in Lewiston, Maine.