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TROY, N.Y. - Amherst College scored seven straight goals, including the first five of the second half, to take a 13-6 lead and gain control of an NCAA Division III First Round Men's Lacrosse game it went on to win, defeating Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 16-11, at East Campus Stadium. No. 11 Amherst improves to 13-4 and advances to play No. 2 Rochester Institute of Technology in a second round game on Saturday. The No 13 Engineers finish the season at 12-5.

With the score tied 6-6 midway through the second quarter, the Purple and White gained the momentum, beginning with an unassisted goal from attack Quinn Moroney. The senior carried the ball from behind the cage to just outside the crease to the goalie's left, turned and scored to break the deadlock. He finished with two goals and four assists and now has 29 goals and 62 assists for 91 points. Moroney, who added a team-high seven ground balls in the game, is first in the nation in assists per game and among the leaders in points per game.

Freshman Andrew Ford made it an 8-6 game when he collected a pass from Rob Butko while cutting down the middle of the field and scored with 1:21 to go in the second quarter. 

Amherst began the second half with a Charlie Gill man-up goal from Moroney at 12:26 and then scored again just 26 seconds later for a 10-6 edge. Senior Kane Haffey notched his third goal of the game and 42nd goal of the season just 25 seconds later to increase the Purple and White's lead to five goals, 11-6. Brett Inglesby and Dylan Park then tallied at 9:57 and 5:17, respectively, for a 13-6 lead.

RPI battled back, however, scoring four straight goals to get to within 13-10. Junior Jake Weidner, who had a game-high five goals, connected at 5:17 and classmate Breanainn McNeally followed with two of his own - his school-record 53rd and 54th of the campaign. Weidner then found the back of the cage at 8:44 of the fourth quarter on Matthew Gilman's third assist of the game and the Engineers were within three. 

It was soon a five-goal game as Park and Charlie Gill answered for Amherst before Weidner's fifth. Ford closed out the scoring when he put the ball into a vacated net with 1:37 to play. 

In addtion to Moroney, the Purple and White got multiple points from Park (3 goals), Haffey (3 goals), Gill (2 goals, 2 assists) and Ford (2 goals). Senior Thomas Gilligan made 10 saves, including five in the fourth quarter. Ford added five ground balls, while Park and Gill had seven shots apiece.

With his five goals, Weidner finishes with 24 tallies on the season. Freshman JT Kelly added two goals and three assists, while McNeally scored twice. Sophomore Oliver Kaija had eight ground balls and John Phillips caused four turnovers. David Gibbs stopped nine shots for RPI, which held a 3-2 lead after the first quarter despite falling behind 2-0.