AMHERST — The second-ranked Amherst College men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 after shutting out Daniel Webster, 3-0, on Sunday in the second round at Hitchcock Field.

Amherst (17-1-1) will face Brandeis (12-5-3) in the sectional round next Saturday. A time and location have yet to be determined.

“This time of year not giving up goals is more important than scoring goals, and I thought that from a defensive standpoint we did really well,” Amherst coach Justin Serpone said.

The defending national champions outshot Daniel Webster 23-9, including 13-6 on goal. The Eagles (14-6-3) were not able to get a shot on goal until the second half.

The scoring started early, as Amherst midfielder Dane Lind headed the ball into the net with an assist by senior captain Chris Martin in the seventh minute to put AC up 1-0.

“I think it’s huge for us to get goals early on and to be able to maintain pressure from there,” senior captain Jackson Lehnhart said. “So it was huge for Dane getting a goal early there and to be able to ride the wave from there.”

After a foul in the box by Daniel Webster, Lehnhart took the penalty kick for Amherst and beat Webster goalie Cooper Hall to put the team up 2-0 at the end of the first half.

Seven minutes into the second half, Martin found the back-left corner of the net past Hall to put Amherst up 3-0.

Many of the Amherst starters were taken out of the game in the second half, including goalie Lee Owen. Serpone stressed the importance of conserving players’ energy.

“I think managing injuries, managing fitness is sort of one of the underrated parts of going through a tournament situation,” Serpone said. “One of the things about this team is that I think we have got 30 good players, and so while they might seem like bench players they are starting-quality guys.”

The loss not only eliminates Daniel Webster from the postseason but brings an end to the program. The college’s parent institution, ITT Educational Services, announced recently it will close most of its schools, bringing an end to the Eagles’ athletic program.

“Credit to Daniel Webster, they really have a good team spirit, a bunch of good players, and this is the last game that their program will ever have. So I tip my hat to the coach Matt Correia and their guys,” Serpone said.

Jacqui Collins is a journalism student at UMass and can be reached at jacquicollins913@gmail.com and followed on Twitter @Jacqui9Collins