MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – Amherst men's lacrosse showed real fight in the first half and briefly had Wesleyan on the ropes, but the Cardinals pulled away after halftime in a 16-4 NESCAC result Wednesday night at Citrin Field.

The Mammoths (3-5, 2-3 NESCAC) traded early punches and answered quickly after Wesleyan opened the scoring, as Bennett Chow tied the game at 9:00 of the first quarter off a Matthew Sheinberg assist. Amherst kept competing through a choppy first half and made its best push late in the second: Willie Doyle scored at 5:42 (assist Sheinberg), then Brendan Reilly struck twice (at 3:54 off a Doyle feed and again unassisted at 1:52) to pull Amherst within 6-4.

Wesleyan created separation after halftime, using a six-goal third quarter to break the game open, with Ben Burns (five goals, one assist) leading the way for the Cardinals. Amherst continued to compete defensively; Spencer Will made eight saves, but Wesleyan's offense stayed efficient down the stretch as the hosts closed out the win. 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

• Wesleyan scored first at 9:48, but Amherst answered immediately as Chow finished at 9:00 (assist Sheinberg) to make it 1-1.
• Amherst's late-second-quarter surge cut into the deficit: Doyle (5:42), Reilly (3:54), and Reilly again (1:52) pulled the Mammoths within 6-4 before Wesleyan scored at 0:43 to take a 7-4 lead into halftime.
• Wesleyan broke it open after the break with six third-quarter goals, including a man-up finish at 14:29, stretching the margin to 13-4 heading to the fourth.
• The Cardinals added three more in the fourth to close out the win.

BY THE NUMBERS:

• Amherst won 11 of 23 faceoffs, led by Carter Cave (9-for-17) and Dylan Kelleher (2-for-3).
• Sheinberg recorded two assists, while Doyle finished with 1 goal and 1 assist, and Reilly scored two.
• Will recorded 8 saves, and Amherst forced 21 Wesleyan turnovers on the afternoon.