Courtesy Amherst Sports Information

YORK, Pa. – The Amherst College men’s soccer team scored three second-half goals during a 4-0 win over Salem State College in the opening round of the 2009 NCAA Championship. The Lord Jeffs (12-3-1) will take on regional host York College Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Making its fourth straight appearance in the national tournament and its ninth overall, Amherst improved to 11-7-5 all-time in NCAA Championship play. The Lord Jeffs also faced Salem State in the 1993 opening round, with Amherst advancing on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie.

A three-time national semifinalist making its 13th appearance in the tournament, Salem State could not slow down Amherst’s potent attack, moving to 14-11-2 all-time in NCAA Championships and finishing its season with a 9-9 record.

Four players scored for Amherst on Saturday, with junior forward Ian Rothkopf (Harvard, Mass.) putting his team on the board with his fifth goal of the season coming in the 10th minute. Picking up the assist was senior Chris Devine (Auburn, Mass.), giving him six helpers on the season.

Senior co-captain Matt Lewis (Wayland, Mass.) made it a 2-0 game after only four minutes and 39 seconds of second half action, as his fifth goal of the year was assisted by junior defender Sam Kaplan (Brunswick, Maine).

First-year midfielder Chris Lerner (Canton, Mass.) then had a hand in the Jeffs’ final two goals, which were separated by 7:27. Lerner gave Amherst a 3-0 lead in the 78th minute with his second goal of the season, while junior midfielder Tommy Moore (Marlborough, MA) picked up his first point of the season on the assist. Lerner then assisted Chris Linsmayer (Denver, Colo.) in the 86th minute to bump the Jeffs’ lead to 4-0.

Sophomore Lennard Kovacs (Wolfersdorf, Germany) made four saves to earn his ninth shutout of the season, with three of his stops coming in the second half.

York earned a 6-0 win over Cazenovia in Saturday’s first game, improving the Spartans’ unbeaten streak to 10 games (8-0-2). Amherst and York met in the 2007 Round of 16, with the Spartans advancing on penalty kicks after a scoreless tie.