AMHERST, Mass. – Sophomore Niall Murphy's brilliant goal helped the #8 Amherst College men's soccer team tie 1-1 with the #8 Middlebury College Panthers in the Mammoths' NESCAC opener on Saturday on Hitchcock Field.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Niall Murphy broke the deadlock to give Amherst a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Aidan Curtis executed a sublime forward pass for Murphy to run onto. On the breakaway and one-on-one with Midd's goalkeeper, Murphy calmly placed a low shot past Midd's goalkeeper with the inside of his right foot.

* With 33 minutes left on the clock, Amherst goalkeeper, Senior Bernie White, made a fantastic save - tipping a Midd long shot over the bar with a strong left glove.

* Shortly after, Junior Shawn Rapal narrowly missed the top left corner with a volley from the edge of the penalty box.

* The Panthers equalized in the 67th minute. Midd won back possession in their own half before initiating a fast counter attack down Amherst's right wing. The passing move culminated with a side-footed finish from Jordan Saint-Louis.

* Amherst's best chance of the second half arrived when Junior Ada Okorogheye crossed the ball to Murphy who had found a gap of space a couple yards from goal. The pass was slightly too far behind Murphy for him to make contact with the ball to score his second goal of the game.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Amherst now hold a 1-0-1 overall record (0-0-1 in NESCAC) for the season. 

* The Mammoths have another home game tomorrow versus Thomas College at 3pm on Hitchcock Field.

* The Purple and White committed 20 fouls and were given 2 yellow cards whereas Middlebury made 9 fouls and received 2 yellow cards.