AMHERST, Mass. – Junior Ashlyn Heller scored the game winner in the 79th minute as the 16th-ranked Amherst women's soccer team downed Colby-Sawyer College, 1-0 in NCAA First Round play Saturday morning.

RECORDS
Amherst (11-3-2)
Colby-Sawyer (13-4-2)

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• In a scoreless opening 45 minutes of play, Amherst dictated the pace, outshooting the visiting Chargers 18-4 and holding a 15-3 advantage in corner kicks.
• Senior Megan Kim led the Amherst offense in the early going of the competition, taking six of the Purple & White's first seven shots and forcing Charger goalkeeper Karley Hamilton to record two saves.
• Caleigh Plaut '19 had an outstanding opportunity to give Amherst the 1-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half, but Hamilton made a fantastic save, diving to her right to stop the shot from the top of the box and preserve the 0-0 deadlock.
• Keeping up the pressure, Amherst closed first half with two close opportunities; with captain Jessy Hale '16 forcing Lizzie Jorgensen to make a defensive save at the 2:03 mark and Haley Zwecker '16 sending a shot towards net that was just deflected high by Hamilton with 2:47 remaining on the clock.
• The second half began in unusual fashion, with the Purple & White earning an indirect kick inside of the box two-minutes into play after a Colby-Sawyer player falling on top of the ball was ruled incidental. The shot from Hannah Guzzi '18 on the play was blocked. 
• Charger Corrie Hoyt gave Colby-Sawyer its best chance of the game in the 57th minute, sending a free kick from the right sideline inches over the Amherst goal. 
• Heller tapped in the game's winning goal from point-blank range with 10:34 remaining to make it a 1-0 contest. Sending a cross into the box, Emily Hester's '17 cross found the feet of Plaut who was able to deflect the ball to Heller.
• Amherst outshot Colby-Sawyer 29-13 in the matchup, and held a decisive 19-4 advantage in corner opportunities.
• Hamilton had an impressive day between the pipes for the Chargers, recording 11 saves in the losing effort. Dominique Papa took a team-high four shots and accounted for three of Colby-Sawyer's five shots on frame in the outing.
• Amherst goalkeeper Holly Burwick '16 registered five saves in the shutout victory. Megan Kim led all players, taking a game-high seven shots.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With the win, the Purple & White advance to their third-consecutive NCAA Championship Second Round.
• The score marks Heller's second-consecutive post-season goal and the second time in the past three games Heller has scored a game-winner.

UP NEXT

• Amherst advances to the Second Round of the NCAA Championship and will play the winner of Brandeis University/Western Connecticut State University on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.
• With the loss, Colby-Sawyer concludes its 2015 campaign. They finish the season with a 13-4-2 overall record.