Men’s and women’s soccer took to the pitch this past Saturday on fields adorned with fall foliage. Family Weekend brought a lighthearted crowd: Families and dogs sprawled out on the grass to watch the Panthers take on Bowdoin.
The women’s match kicked off at 11 a.m. and the Panthers dominated possession for most of the game, creating more chances than their opponents. Still, they found themselves down two goals late, a deficit they were unable to overcome.
After an opening 18 minutes that saw the two teams share equal possession of the ball, the Polar Bears drew first blood as they capitalized on a free kick from the edge of the box. The stunning shot curled into the top left corner, beyond the reach of Middlebury goalkeeper and co-captain Livia Davidson ’26.
The Panthers made early substitutions, bringing in reinforcements to bolster the midfield. They mostly kept the ball to themselves the remainder of the period, playing in Bowdoin’s end and mounting pressure on their backline.
Despite the offensive pressure, the Panthers failed to find the back of the net. Crosses into the box were scooped up or landed out of reach of the attacking runs. At the half-hour mark, Roshann Purcell ’26 rattled the crossbar from 35 yards out. Ten minutes later, Sarah Hall ’29 thumped the right goalpost with a looping volley from inside the box.
With their starters back on the pitch, the Panthers sustained their attacking pressure in the second half.
In the 58th minute, Carolina Espinosa ’26 cleverly slipped the ball through a defender's legs and found herself through on goal, but her strike proved an easy stop for the goalkeeper.
Bowdoin’s second goal came halfway through the period when a rogue cross into the Middlebury box took a cruel deflection off a defender, landing in the back of the net.
Down two, the Panthers didn’t throw in the towel but played with renewed urgency, fighting desperately for every ball. Middlebury finally broke through with 13 minutes remaining. From a free kick taken short, Stella Espinasse ’27 flicked the ball into the box, connecting with Purcell, who tapped it home.
The Panthers battled admirably to the final whistle, but an equalizer remained out of reach.
“I think that we had moments of great soccer during the game, but also mistakes in key areas on the field that led to the result,” Davidson said.
“We are a passionate, unbelievably hardworking team, who I think really wants to win ... we just need to find that chip on our shoulder again,” Fiona Linnau ’28, NESCAC Player of the Week, said.
A similar story unfolded for the men’s team, who celebrated their senior day on the field before the 12 p.m. kickoff.
Middlebury’s opponent, Bowdoin, has shown mediocre performance all season. They are coached by Scott Wiercinski ’99, a two-time All-NESCAC goalkeeper for Middlebury. Unfortunately for the Panthers, however, his allegiances no longer lie in Vermont.
Bowdoin broke the deadlock with three minutes left in the half. A ball into the box found the feet of a Bowdoin forward, who slipped it by the Middlebury keeper.
After regrouping under the shade of a nearby tree during halftime, the Panthers were able to improve in the second half, yet they still struggled to find the net despite numerous chances. The final whistle blew, signaling Middlebury’s third 1–0 loss in a row.
Admittedly, the Panthers were unlucky on Saturday. They outshot and out-cornered Bowdoin, a recurring theme this year. But no matter how you spin it, Bowdoin still outscored. The loss puts Middlebury out of NESCAC playoffs, at least for now.
“We have to be more opportunistic,” head coach Alex Elias said, reflecting on their offensive struggles. “We have to be hungrier.”
On Sunday, a fired-up Middlebury squad faced Thomas College. Elias’ message had made an impact. The visitors took an ominous lead with over a minute gone, but Middlebury responded with seven unanswered goals, three coming in the first half.
Quinn Pappendick ’28 notched a career-best two goals; his second was a curler that found the top left corner from 18 yards out. Dylan Payne ’28.5 followed shortly after with a close-range volley to cap off the scoring. Hopefully they saved a few goals for next week, too.
Although the game has no NESCAC implications, it could serve as a critical turning point in the Panthers' playoff push.
“This is not how we looked to go into the season,” Alem Hadzic ’26 said after the game. “But ultimately, this is what good teams do: you adjust to the setbacks and challenges.”
The Panthers have five games remaining — all against NESCAC teams — to make the playoffs. Reflecting on those crucial games, Elias said, “We’ve got to be desperate to keep playing together. We’ve got a really good group. We have a really close community of players and families here. We owe it to ourselves to give ourselves the best chance to play as long as possible.”
