AMHERST, Mass. – The Amherst College men's lacrosse turned Wednesday into a track meet, erupting for 21 goals in a 21-9 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Gooding Field.

The Mammoths (7-5) broke the game open with a dominant middle stretch, scoring six times in the second quarter to take a 9-3 halftime lead, then pouring in five more in the third to make it 14-4 heading to the fourth. Amherst didn't let up late, piling on seven goals in the final period to put an exclamation point on the 12-goal win.

Ben Wick headlined the offensive explosion with six goals and an assist for a seven-point day. Amherst got help from everywhere: Bob Gross posted three goals and two assists, Sam Schafer added three goals and an assist, and Max Youssefnia scored twice. The Mammoths finished with goals from 11 different players, including first collegiate tallies from Oscar Smink and Ayden Santi-Tillotson, as the scoring spread across the entire lineup.

Amherst controlled the possession battle all afternoon, finishing with a 60-30 advantage in shots and winning ground balls 46-19. At the stripe, Carter Cave drove the tempo by winning 23 of 28 face-offs, helping Amherst stack possessions and keep RPI pinned for long stretches.

In goal, Brooks Catlin earned the win with nine saves in 54:29, and Spencer Will added two saves in relief.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

* Amherst answered an early RPI goal with a quick response from Wick at 13:27 (assist Alex Vlacich), then took control late in the first behind Gross (assist Matthew Sheinberg at 9:00) and Schafer's goal at 0:46 to lead 3-2 after one.

* The Mammoths broke it open in the second quarter, scoring six times, including goals from Vlacich (assist Gross), Wick (assist Sheinberg), Bennett Chow, Brendan Reilly (Assist Wick), and another from Wick (assist Dutch Lohnes) to carry a 9-3 lead into halftime.

* Amherst kept the avalanche going in the third, stretching the margin to 14-4 with five goals, highlighted by another Wick finish at 12:50 (assist Vlacich) and back-to-back Gross goals at 10:33 and 7:44.

* The fourth turned into a celebration as Amherst scored seven more, including goals from Willie Doyle (assist: Schafer), Smink (assist: Nate Cootauco), and Santi-Tillotson (assist: Ethan Tanner), both first career goals, to cap the 21-9 rout.

BY THE NUMBERS:

* Amherst dominated the shot count 60-30 and held a 35-20 edge in shots on goal.

* The Mammoths controlled possessions, winning ground balls 46-19 and face-offs 25-9.

* Amherst got goals from 11 different players and totaled 14 assists on 21 goals.