Men's soccer captures NESCAC title in penalty shootout

After downing Tufts 3-0 at home on Halloween in the quarterfinals of the 2010 NESCAC tournament, the Middlebury men’s soccer team travelled to host school Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Me. for a shot at the conference title.

Two games of shutout soccer later, the Panthers returned home NESCAC champions for the third time in program history, defeating the Amherst Lord Jeffs 2-0 in the semifinals on Saturday, and clinching the championship in a 4-3 shootout thriller after 110 minutes of dramatic scoreless play. The two victories marked the second time the Panthers had defeated each team this season, and also earned the squad an automatic bid to the 2010 Division III National Tournament.

Middlebury started the scoring at the 34-minute mark of the first half on Saturday, when Tyler Macnee ’12 buried a deflected ball into the back of the net off a free kick feed from Jake Edwards ’11. Otis Pitney ’12 added an insurance goal in the 63rd minute off a cross from Rob Cole ’13. Macnee and Pitney both recorded their fifth goals of the season, and head coach Dave Saward was well pleased with the goals from his junior strike force.

“The first goal owes a great deal of credit to Edwards, who saw an opportunity at a free kick to play a quick pass to Macnee,” said Saward. “Pitney’s goal was off a great cross from Cole, and Otis made a powerful run into the box to head past a helpless keeper.”

Saturday’s game against Amherst was reminiscent of the play that earned the Panthers their seven-shutout start to the season, giving them their 12th overall of the year. Tim Cahill ’12 was once again brilliant in goal for the team, making five first-half saves. Co-captain Harrison Watkins ’11 commented on his team’s stellar defensive play.

“Amherst is a very strong, tall and physical team, so we knew that we had our work cut out for us,” said Watkins. “I believe that our aggressive play in both the offensive and defensive box led to our win. Cahill had one of his better games of the season, as he was very helpful in punching balls out of danger and organizing our backline.” After getting the job done on Saturday, the team entered into its fifth final in a row, and eighth out a possible eleven.

“It is never easy to beat one of the top teams twice in the season, and Bowdoin had not lost since they played us back in September,” said Saward. “There were nerves and the place was packed with fans, however, there was a quiet determination to ‘get the job done.’”

“Everyone seemed confident and excited to get on the field to bring home a NESCAC championship,” added Watkins. After being under siege for the first ten minutes, the team settled down and played an exciting scoreless game, pushing the contest to a shootout.

Middlebury’s first shooter, Watkins, hooked his shot to the left giving Bowdoin the upper hand.

“Of course I was about to pass out from the anxiety of the moment,” said Watkins. “But I knew my teammates were going to have my back no matter what.”

The team then traded goals until the fourth round when Cahill guessed the correct side and turned away the Bowdoin shot. John Portman ’13 then converted his fifth-round attempt, followed by a Bowdoin miss that sealed the title.

“Penalty kicks are soccer’s answer to Russian roulette,” said Saward. “It is very exhilarating to win that way, and completely devastating for the opponent.” He added, “I feel very proud of the team and their effort all year. They have demonstrated the resilience necessary to be successful.”

“There are really no words to describe how proud I am of the team,” seconded Watkins. “It has been an incredibly successful season with some tough losses that could have disrupted the flow and cohesion of any team. This is the first time in a while where I’ve been on a team where everyone is constantly supporting one another while maintaining a competitive mentality.”

The win puts the Panthers record at 13-3-1 on the eve of their NCAA regional matchup, which will be this Saturday at home vs. Daniel Webster at 11 a.m. The winner of this game will face the winner of Paterson-Thomas on Sunday on the soccer turf. Daniel Webster, a small college out of Nashua, NH will be making their first ever NCAA appearance, while Middlebury will be dancing for the tenth time in team history.

In the words of Watkins, “anything is possible.”