After 10 games of play, Middlebury men’s soccer remains undefeated with seven wins and three ties so far this year. They have earned four wins and two ties in the NESCAC after starting off conference games at home against Amherst on Sept. 9, where Harper Nicholl ’27 scored his first career goal midway through the second half to even out the game at 1–1. Since then, the team has maintained an impressive streak, including a strong 4–1 win over Hamilton College and a 2–0 shutout against Wesleyan University.
This is their best start to the season since 1999, and the team is showing no signs of slowing down after a 1–0 conference win over Colby College this past weekend. Senior captain and recent NESCAC player of the week Jordan Saint-Louis ’24 was pleased with the team’s run of form.
“It feels good, we’re happy to continue to keep on putting up good performances,” Saint-Louis said. “It’s a testament to the work that the team put in over the summer and the values that we institute as a program.”
Though the team has yet to lose a match, the players remain determined to improve and have bigger goals for the season that they hope to accomplish.
“I don’t think anybody on our team is satisfied… we’re all pretty hungry to keep on playing well and to keep improving,” Saint-Louis said. “No one on our team is really looking at our record as if we’ve had a good season because it’s all determined by the final outcome.”
With only four games left, the team looks to continue their success as they gear up to play back-to-back away conference games against Trinity College on Oct. 14, followed by Connecticut College on Oct. 15.
“For everyone on the team, especially the guys that were here last year, we know that right now is the time to solidify our place as the best team going into the NESCAC playoffs,” Saint-Louis said.
The team has been in the top five of the NESCAC standings since 2018, and this season they are hoping to not only finish on top of the leaderboards, but to win the NESCAC championship and go on to succeed in the NCAA tournament. The Panthers will play their final home game of the season against fifth-ranked Tufts University on Oct. 21 and their final away game against seventh-ranked Williams on Oct. 24 in Williamstown, Mass.
