THE BASICS:
 
- Score: No. 13 MIT 13, No. 15 Amherst College 12
 
- Records: MIT (17-0); Amherst (10-7)
 
- Location: Rochester, N.Y. (RIT Turf Field)
 
- The Lead: Nationally-ranked No 13 MIT jumped out to a 6-0 lead before going on to defeat No. 15 Amherst College, 13-12, in the second round of the NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Tournament on Saturday afternoon. Graduate student Ryan Gebhardt (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) produced four goals, including the 300^th of his career, and one assist while senior Gavin Vandenberg (Elmhurst, Ill.) generated two goals and three assists for the Engineers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Senior Liam Miller (Pasadena, Calif.) put MIT on the board after 1:09 expired and then goals by sophomore Heath Nilsen (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Gebhardt in a span of 1:19 gave the Engineers a 3-0 lead midway through the quarter. Senior Andy Shin (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) increased MIT's margin when he redirected a feed from Gebhardt with just under four minutes remaining.
 
- Vandenberg was a factor in the Engineers' first two goals of the second quarter as he scored on a feed from junior Andrew Palleiko (Hopkinton, Mass.) right off the faceoff and then set up Nilsen at the 13:51 mark. Amherst ended the shutout 35 seconds later and went on to narrow the gap to 6-4 with 6:31 left in the quarter. A blast by Nilsen ended the run but the Mammoths scored back-to-back goals. MIT countered with a diving goal by Gebhardt as time expired, giving the Engineers an 8-6 lead at halftime.
 
- A goal in transition by graduate student Eric Pence (Portland, Ore.) that was set up by Vandenberg just over a minute into the third quarter created some breathing room, however, Amherst trimmed its deficit to 9-8 with 7:59 on the clock. A defensive battle ensued until Nilsen found Gebhardt with 1:55 left in the quarter.
 
- The Mammoths scored twice during the first 1:14 of the final frame as a man-up goal evened the score at 10. Almost two minutes later, MIT replied with a blast from Vandenberg that was set up by Miller. A stalemate followed until Gebhardt broke through at the 6:29 mark, increasing the lead to 12-10.
 
- Amherst cut its deficit in half 30 seconds later but Pence buried what proved to be the game-winning goal with 5:23 left to play, creating a 13-11 edge. After some back-and-forth play, the Mammoths found the back of the net with 20 seconds to go. Amherst won the faceoff and put a shot on goal, which was saved by senior Lukas Drexler-Bruce (Denver, Colo.) moments before the buzzer sounded.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- Nilsen registered three goals and one assist as Miller posted one goal and one assist. First-year Matthew Sardis (Bernardsville, N.J.) collected four groundballs, followed by three from Gebhardt, Palleiko, and senior Ben Dwyer (Baldwinsville, N.Y.). Junior Chris Perrino (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) notched two groundballs and one caused turnover while sophomore Teague Rice (Suffern, N.Y.) generated two caused turnovers. Drexler-Bruce finished with 15 saves, four groundballs, and one caused turnover.
 
- This was the first postseason meeting between MIT and Amherst as well as the first time both programs have played each other since 2014. The Engineers recorded their 12^th win over the Mammoths and first since 1981.
 
- MIT's victory marks the program's first win in two appearances at the NCAA Tournament.
 
- The Engineers are currently ranked 13^th in the USILA/Dynamic Coaches Poll, 18^th in the Inside Lacrosse Poll, and 12^th in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll. Amherst is 15^th in both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse Polls and 18^th in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine Poll.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT will play host No. 2 Rochester Institute of Technology in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
- For the latest on MIT Athletics, follow the Engineers via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.


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