diff --git a/re2/dfa.cc b/re2/dfa.cc
index 390aa9c..71e1442 100644
--- a/re2/dfa.cc
+++ b/re2/dfa.cc
@@ -1341,7 +1341,7 @@
     lastmatch = p;
     if (ExtraDebug)
       fprintf(stderr, "match @stx! [%s]\n", DumpState(s).c_str());
-    if (params->matches && kind_ == Prog::kManyMatch) {
+    if (params->matches != NULL && kind_ == Prog::kManyMatch) {
       for (int i = s->ninst_ - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
         int id = s->inst_[i];
         if (id == MatchSep)
@@ -1466,7 +1466,7 @@
       if (ExtraDebug)
         fprintf(stderr, "match @%td! [%s]\n",
                 lastmatch - bp, DumpState(s).c_str());
-      if (params->matches && kind_ == Prog::kManyMatch) {
+      if (params->matches != NULL && kind_ == Prog::kManyMatch) {
         for (int i = s->ninst_ - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
           int id = s->inst_[i];
           if (id == MatchSep)
@@ -1533,7 +1533,7 @@
     lastmatch = p;
     if (ExtraDebug)
       fprintf(stderr, "match @etx! [%s]\n", DumpState(s).c_str());
-    if (params->matches && kind_ == Prog::kManyMatch) {
+    if (params->matches != NULL && kind_ == Prog::kManyMatch) {
       for (int i = s->ninst_ - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
         int id = s->inst_[i];
         if (id == MatchSep)
@@ -1883,6 +1883,8 @@
   bool anchored = anchor == kAnchored || anchor_start() || kind == kFullMatch;
   bool endmatch = false;
   if (kind == kManyMatch) {
+    // In theory, this could be if matches != NULL && kind == kManyMatch,
+    // but the Prog has been marked as anchored, which we cannot alter.
     endmatch = true;
   } else if (kind == kFullMatch || anchor_end()) {
     endmatch = true;
@@ -1891,17 +1893,17 @@
 
   // If the caller doesn't care where the match is (just whether one exists),
   // then we can stop at the very first match we find, the so-called
-  // "shortest match".
-  bool want_shortest_match = false;
+  // "earliest match".
+  bool want_earliest_match = false;
   if (match0 == NULL && !endmatch) {
-    want_shortest_match = true;
+    want_earliest_match = true;
     kind = kLongestMatch;
   }
 
   DFA* dfa = GetDFA(kind);
   const char* ep;
   bool matched = dfa->Search(text, context, anchored,
-                             want_shortest_match, !reversed_,
+                             want_earliest_match, !reversed_,
                              failed, &ep, matches);
   if (*failed)
     return false;
diff --git a/re2/set.cc b/re2/set.cc
index d326905..05b7a3b 100644
--- a/re2/set.cc
+++ b/re2/set.cc
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #include "re2/set.h"
 
 #include <stddef.h>
+#include <memory>
 
 #include "util/util.h"
 #include "util/logging.h"
@@ -101,12 +102,14 @@
     LOG(DFATAL) << "RE2::Set::Match without Compile";
     return false;
   }
-  if (v != NULL)
-    v->clear();
   bool dfa_failed = false;
-  SparseSet matches(size_);
-  bool ret = prog_->SearchDFA(text, text, Prog::kAnchored,
-                              Prog::kManyMatch, NULL, &dfa_failed, &matches);
+  std::unique_ptr<SparseSet> matches;
+  if (v != NULL) {
+    matches.reset(new SparseSet(size_));
+    v->clear();
+  }
+  bool ret = prog_->SearchDFA(text, text, Prog::kAnchored, Prog::kManyMatch,
+                              NULL, &dfa_failed, matches.get());
   if (dfa_failed) {
     if (options_.log_errors())
       LOG(ERROR) << "DFA out of memory: size " << prog_->size() << ", "
@@ -116,12 +119,13 @@
   }
   if (ret == false)
     return false;
-  if (matches.empty()) {
-    LOG(DFATAL) << "RE2::Set::Match: match but unknown regexp set";
-    return false;
+  if (v != NULL) {
+    if (matches->empty()) {
+      LOG(DFATAL) << "RE2::Set::Match: match but unknown regexp set";
+      return false;
+    }
+    v->assign(matches->begin(), matches->end());
   }
-  if (v != NULL)
-    v->assign(matches.begin(), matches.end());
   return true;
 }