AMHERST, MASS. -- The Amherst men's soccer team jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the half and earned a 4-1 victory versus nationally fifth-ranked Cortland Saturday in the third round of the NCAA Div. III Men's Soccer Tournament at Hitchcock Field. The Red Dragons ended their season with an 18-3-1 record and a tie for ninth nationally. The Mammoths improved to 15-2-2 and will host the winner of Middlebury versus John Carroll on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Graduate student Blake Aronson (Huntington Station/Walt Whitman) concluded his Cortland career with his 16th goal of the season. Aronson led Div. III nationally with 10 game-winning goals this fall and his 16 goals are the sixth-most in a single season at Cortland. Junior goalie Braden Melveney (Syracuse/Cicero-North Syracuse) registered one save. Melveney set a program record this season with his 18 wins and his 10 shutouts tie for fifth in a single season.

German Giammattei had a hand in all four Amherst goals, scoring three times and assisting on another. Ada Okorogheye added a goal, and Sebastian Derby and Jonny Novak each collected an assist. Goalie Kofi Hope-Gund made four saves.

Giammattei opened the scoring with a penalty-kick goal in the 12th minute. He made it a 2-0 game just 27 seconds later, and Okorogheye put the Mammoths ahead 3-0 going into the half with his goal in the 26th minute.

Giammattei completed his hat trick in the 51st minute before Aronson converted a penalty kick in the 58th minute for the 4-1 final.

Amherst 4, Cortland 1

Scoring Summary (Goals-Assists):
Cortland: Blake Aronson 1-0
Amherst: German Giammattei 3-1, Ada Okorogheye 1-0, Sebastian Derby 0-1, Jonny Novak 0-1

Halftime: Amherst 3, Cortland 0
Shots: Amherst 13, Cortland 8
Corner Kicks: Cortland 3, Amherst 3
Fouls: Cortland 16, Amherst 14
Saves: Braden Melveney (Cortland) 1 save (4 GA in 90:00), Kofi Hope-Gund (Amherst) 4 saves (1 GA in 90:00)

Record after game: Cortland (Red Dragons) 18-3-1; Amherst (Mammoths) 15-2-2