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(05/11/17 1:34am)
This past weekend the men’s lacrosse team saw their season end when they lost to top-ranked Bates in the NESCAC semifinals in Lewiston, Me.
A hard road stood between the Panthers and the conference title, as they would have to overcome a Bates team that went undefeated in conference play to get to the championship game. Their victory over no. 3–seeded Amherst the week before set the Panthers up for the contest against the undefeated Bobcats, the #1 team in the country and the host of the tournament. In an riveting matchup, the Panthers upstaged Bates and spoiled their historic season, punching their ticket to the NESCAC final with a 14-13 victory. The win set them up to face Wesleyan after the Cardinals’ win over Tufts that same day.
In the game against Wesleyan, defense was the name of the game: the Cardinals took a rather conservative approach, positioning most of their players on their half of the field to keep the score low and keep the game within reach for a late comeback. Wesleyan was ultimately able to close in and cut the gap of the Middlebury lead, scoring three unanswered goals late to take a 9-8 lead and ending the Panthers’ season.
Coming hot into the game was goalie Chase Midgley ’19, the reigning NESCAC player of the week and the starter for both of the weekend’s matchups. Midgley brought his A-game again against the Bobcats as the star goalie stopped 19 of the 32 shots that Bates rocketed off on the day.
The Panthers entered the game “confident and excited for the challenge,” Midgley would say afterwards; they were ready to go against the team that barely beat them a few weeks before.
The Panthers started off strongly with a quick goal from Henry Riehl ’18, followed by a 3-1 scoring run powered by A.J. Kucinski ’20, Chase Goree ’20, and Parker Lawlor ’18. Bates scored four more goals in the first quarter, but Middlebury kept pace with two of their own by Frankie Cosolito ’20 and Kucinski; the score stood at 6-5 in Middlebury’s favor by the end of the first frame.
The second quarter was far more defensively oriented: Middlebury only scored one more goal, netted by Riehl, which was countered by two from the Bobcats. With a 7-7 score that essentially amounted to a clean slate after halftime, Midd came out firing in the third quarter with quick goals from Kucinski and JP Miller ’17. The Bobcats responded with one of their own before the two teams began trading scores, with goals by by Miller and Lawlor answered respectively by Bates to bring the tally to 11-10 going into the final frame.
Every time Bates was able to score in the fourth period, the Panthers were able to answer in turn. In the end, the Bobcats couldn’t mount a comeback; Middlebury came away with a victory to the tune of a 14-13 final score, sealing the biggest win of the year for the Panthers.
After the big win on Saturday, the Middlebury squad had a quick turnaround for the NESCAC finals against Wesleyan on Sunday. Wesleyan sat in a zone and wasn’t terribly aggressive on defense: they didn’t press outwards in order to slow down the game and keep the score low. This strategy made it difficult for Middlebury to shoot by limiting their one-on-one matchups against Wesleyan defenders.
While Middlebury was able to best Wesleyan early on, taking a commanding 6-2 lead heading into halftime, four goals would prove to be too narrow of a margin. Wesleyan was able to score back-to-back goals with a man up on the Panthers in the third quarter, narrowing the margin to 8-6 heading into the last quarter.
Penalties continued to hurt the Panthers as Wesleyan scored two more man-up goals to even the score. With five minutes left, the Cardinals ripped a shot into the back of the net to put the final nail in the coffin for the Panthers’ season. The scoring would end there as the Panthers couldn’t manage to tie up the game; despite another great game from Midgley, who had 13 saves, the match ended at 9-8 in Wesleyan’s favor.
Despite an up-and-down season for the Panthers, the team was certainly pleased with the strong ending to their 2017 campaign.
“Beating Bates was awesome and set the stage well for next season,” said Chris Bradbury ‘19. “It showed that despite all of the injuries we faced, we were still able to come together as a group and beat the best team in the country.”
(05/04/17 1:59am)
After clinching the sixth seed in the NESCAC tournament last week when they were on the brink of elimination, the men’s lacrosse team kept the momentum rolling with an upset victory over NESCAC no. 3 seed and no. 11 nationally ranked Amherst last Saturday, April 22, in Amherst, Mass. The 12-11 win secured Middlebury a spot in the NESCAC semifinal round. The Panthers are set to start off the championship weekend on Saturday, May 6, when they square off with the country’s no. 1-ranked, undefeated Bates Bobcats.
While their upcoming matchup looks daunting, the Panthers played Bates closely in their meeting last month, as they played to a final score of 15-12 in Lewiston, ME. If goalie Chase Midgley ’19 has another performance two days from now like he did last Saturday, anything is possible for the Panthers, who are trying to add some late season magic to make it to the NCAA tournament despite being heavy underdogs. Midgley had a season and career best 24 saves against Amherst, securing the win with three saves in the final 36 seconds in just his seventh career start in the net.
For the Panthers, Danny Jacobs ’20 led the way against Amherst with a team high four goals. Two of his goals came within the game’s first 21 seconds. After the Mammoths scored three unanswered goals, Jacobs’ teammate, Matt O’Neal ‘19, added one of his own to tie the game at three all as the seconds ticked off on the first quarter.
Chase Goree ’20 added another goal for the Panthers before halftime to cut into Amherst’s lead, making it 5-4 Mammoths at the midway point of the contest.
After going down 7-4 early in the third quarter, the Panthers found that the offseason was biting at their heels. On the brink, the Panthers filled on the switch as they went on a hot streak to bring the score back to even after goals from Jacobs, Parker Lawlor ’18 and A.J. Kucinski ’20.
The 7-7 tie lasted into the fourth quarter before each team started trading goals to make it a thrilling down-to-the-wire finish.
Henry Riehl ’18 scored two straight goals for Middlebury before Amherst struck back to take a 10-9 lead. With just 8:24 left in the game and possibly the Panthers’ season, Riehl scored his third goal of the quarter to tie the score up at 10.
A few moments later, Jacobs continued his great day, coming through once again with another shot into the back of the net to give the Panthers their first lead of the day at 11-10.
Amherst didn’t go away easily though as the home team shot back, getting one by Midgley with 3:42 remaining in the game to tie the game back up at 11-11. Not to be deterred Jacobs finished off his incredible day with an accurate strike from 12 yards out to put the underdogs on top 12-11. Midgley’s effort in the net over the final minutes secured the win for the Panthers, as they celebrated with a jubilant spring towards the Middlebury sideline as time ran out.
The Panthers avenged a tough loss to Amherst earlier in the year where they fell by a score of 20-11, evidence they have come a long way and demonstrated resolve in the face of being bitten by a ferocious injury bug throughout the season. The season’s pivotal game in Lewiston will get underway Saturday at noon.
“As a group we are looking forward to the challenge ahead of playing Bates,” said Midgley. “We are confident and excited for the match up ahead of us.”
(04/27/17 3:35am)
This past weekend, the Middlebury men’s lacrosse team played host to visiting Colby College. In a crucial NESCAC game for the Panthers, the Mules bested the home squad to a final score of 13-10.
Colby started the game off with an early lead, going up 2-0 within the first two minutes. Henry Riehl ’18 scored to push the score to 2-1 and was assisted by A.J. Kucinski ’20 in man-up offense to bring Midd within one just three minutes into the game. The two teams then traded off goals as Kucinski scored to make the score 3-2. After a five minute scoreless drought nearing the end of the first quarter, Colby tallied two late goals to bring their lead to 5-2.
In the second quarter, Colby continued its hot shooting with two straight goals, holding a 7-2 lead with 7:11 left in the half. Matt O’Neal ’19 put the Panthers back on the scoreboard, followed eight seconds later by another clean shot by John Jackson ’18, bringing the score to 7-4. Colby closed out the half with another goal of their own, putting the score at 8-4 in favor of the Mules.
Colby came out firing again in the third quarter, scoring three in the frame while Midd managed just one goal: Riehl, assisted by Wes Quinzani ’18, put his second shot of the day in the back of the net. Middlebury, with their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, came out firing in the fourth quarter. Riehl scored two more consecutive goals, followed by two more from teammates Frankie Cosolito ’20 and Danny Jacobs ’20. Jacobs added one more goal at the end of the game, but two goals by Colby put the score out of reach, ending the contest at 13-10.
In the game, Riehl led the way for the Panthers with four goals, while Kucinski had a team high two assists. Chase Midgley ’19 played most of the game in goal, totaling 45 minutes in the net, while captain Will Ernst ’17 finished the game off in the final 15 minutes. Jackson and Jake Madnick ’20 won 17/27 total faceoffs on the day and Jackson also added a team high seven ground ball recoveries to lead the Middlebury team.
Riehl now sits at fourth place among the NESCAC scoring leaders at 43 and Kucinski is also in fourth place in assists with 30 in his first campaign for Midd. With just one game left to play, Midd sits in eighth place in the conference and needs either a win against Williams or for Colby to have lost last night to Bates on Wednesday. If either result happens, the Panthers will make the NESCAC tournament beginning on Saturday, April 29 and will likely play either Amherst, Wesleyan or Bates, depending on the results of this week’s contests.
Chris Bradbury ’19 said, “Coming off a tough loss and going into a must-win game against a historically and currently competitive team in Williams ... we are looking to build on what we did at the end of the game against Colby by addressing certain areas of weakness during this week of practice … and to come out with a competitive mentality that will drive us into making a run at the NESCAC championship.”
(04/20/17 5:23pm)
After a tough stretch a few weeks ago and some encouraging steps towards success two weekends ago, the Middlebury Men’s lacrosse team finally put it all together this past week. Last week featured two marquee matchups for the team as they took on an athletic Springfield team at home to kick off a three-game homestand.
Springfield was 6-2 entering the game, receiving votes in the NCAA D3 top-25 poll similar to Middlebury, and posed a great matchup and test before a crucial conference game against Trinity on Saturday. The Panthers met and triumphed in both contests, winning 13-12 over Springfield and 11-7 over Trinity.
In the Springfield game, sophomore Chase Midgley ’19 started and played all 60 minutes in goal, making 11 saves on 23 shots. Jake Madnick ’20 and John Jackson ’18 completed a great duo in face offs as Madnick won 13/17 and Jackson won 8/12. On offense, Luke Peterson ’19 and Henry Riehl ’18 led the way with three goals each, followed closely by A.J. Kucinski ’20 who added two shots to the back of the net and two assists. Madnick and Jake DeFrino ’17 tied in picking up a team high eight ground balls, four more than the next best result for either team.
After a close loss against Bates the preceding Saturday, this was a great game to win for the Panthers, showing that they could still compete at an elite level even without several key starters who are lost to the year because of injury, including Clay Hunt ’19, Jack Gould ’19, and Michael McCormick ’19.
“Even though we have had injuries other players are stepping up to fill their roles,” said Chris Bradbury ’19. “Having a win going into a Saturday game is always a big confidence boost which helped us to a win.”
Saturday’s game featured a matchup between two teams vying to make the NESCAC playoffs as Trinity entered 0-7 in conference games while Middlebury was 2-5 and currently occupies the eighth and last playoff spot. Middlebury started off strongly on Saturday, taking a quick 4-2 lead on goals from Chase Goree ’20, Jackson, Peterson and Riehl, but let their lead slip in the second quarter, falling behind 6-5 at the half. The second half was all Panthers though as they were surely inspired by the warm weather and big crowd who came out to Alumni Stadium to support them. The Panthers went on a 6-2 scoring run to close out the game, with goals from Kucinski (2), Danny Jacobs ’20, and Riehl (3). Kucinski added four assists to lead Middlebury who earned their third NESCAC victory, putting them in a good position heading into next Saturday’s game against Colby College. Midgley had a breakout game in the net too, saving 16/23 shots, cementing himself as a key piece to the Middlebury lineup.
With just two regular season games left, Midd needs to win at least one of more game to clinch a playoff berth. Riehl is having an outstanding season for the Panthers and is just three goals off of the league leading number of 42, and eight off of the league leading assists mark of 36, looking to find himself on an All-NESCAC team at the end of the season.
(02/25/16 3:01am)
The women’s basketball team made their final road trip of the season on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Panthers travelled to Medford, Mass. to take on top seeded Tufts in the NESCAC Quarterfinal playoff round. As the top seed in the NESCAC tournament, the Jumbos entered with a dominant 21-2 record, highlighted by an undefeated 10-0 NESCAC campaign. The score was 31-19 coming out of the halftime break, and a dominant 26-6 third quarter by Tufts ultimately did the Panthers in.
The Panthers were paced by Sarah Kaufman ’18 with 10 points and Eileen Daley ’18 with eight points and 11 rebounds, both of whom finished their sophomore campaigns strongly.
With this loss, the Panthers fell to 12-13 on the season, including a 3-7 in-conference mark. This was the first year since 2007-2008 that Middlebury made consecutive appearances in the NESCAC playoff tournament.
The future looks bright for the Panthers. The team’s lone junior, Elizabeth Knox ’17, is the most seasoned player currently on the roster, but she was lost for the season to an injury. That left the team to rely on underclassmen for the duration of the year.
First-year Catherine Harrison ’19 had an outstanding opening year as she averaged a double-double with 11.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, garnering two NESCAC player of the week accolades and also surely in the running for All-NESCAC honors. Kaufman led the Panthers with 14.7 points-per-game, while adding 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Daley started all 25 games for the Panthers, averaging 34 minutes-per-game. Colleen Caveney ’19 also came on strongly at the end of the season and averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Middlebury will have the same core group of players for the next two to three years, allowing them lots of time to work as a unit and develop. Some of their highlights on the year included a 76-59 win over Wesleyan and a close five-point win on the road against Bates that clinched the team’s spot in the conference tournament. Looking to the future, Middlebury will have a long but hopeful off-season as they work to qualify for NESCACs for the third year in a row.
“Since we are such a young team we are all really excited for next year because no one is graduating,” Harrison said. “We are returning with everyone extremely invested and everyone already knowing their position and role on the team.”
(01/28/16 12:03am)
Women’s basketball split a pair of inspired games this past week. On Tuesday, Jan. 29, the Panthers outlasted Smith for a 70-57 victory. The Panthers returned to conference play Sunday, Jan. 24, when they travelled to Williamstown, Mass. to play Williams in the Chandler Athletic Center. The Panthers entered the game needing a win to climb above .500 in conference play and tied with Williams with a 2-2 record in the NESCAC standings.
The Panthers’ victory over Smith did not come easily, as they fell behind the Pioneers 12-10 early in the first quarter. The turning point came in the second quarter when Middlebury broke a 17-17 tie with a nine straight points, propelling the team to a 14 to seven run and a 31-24 halftime lead.
Eileen Daley ’18 and Sarah Kaufman ’18 helped the Panthers hold onto the momentum when they came out of the locker room for the second half. Daley and Kaufman hit five jump for the Panthers combining for 17 of the team’s 21 third quarter points, which gave Middlebury a comfortable 52-39 lead heading into the fourth.
Daley finished the game with a double-double, scoring a career high 14 points to go with 13 boards, two assists and three steals on the defensive end. Kaufman led all scorers with 21 points, played a game-high 38 minutes and went five-for-five from the free throw stripe.
Catherine Harrison ’19 and Sabrina Weeks ’18 also contributed to the winning effort. Harrison had 10 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Weeks added 11 points off the bench.
The Panthers improved to 10-5 with the win.
The Panthers again struggled out of the gate again Sunday in Williamstown. However, after the team dug itself a 10-0 hole, the Panthers bounced back and took a 19-17 lead after Kaufman sunk a clutch three-pointer with 3:41 to go in the first half.
The travel, the injuries and the team’s depleted bench began to take a toll on the Panthers. Middlebury was trailing 49-37 by the end of the third quarter, having lost the momentum they built up at the end of the first half.
In the end, the Panthers were undermanned, limping to a tough 66-49 loss.
For the game, Middlebury shot an uncharacteristically low 32.7 percent from the field and went just eight for 15 from the free throw line. If the Panthers are going to compete against the tougher opponents on their NESCAC schedule, they must be more efficient from the field. Even in their NESCAC wins against Bates and Wesleyan, the Panthers only shot 44.6 percent and 41.4 percent, respectively. Despite the loss, the Panthers had two players score in double figures as Kaufman netted 14, Harrison just missed a double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds and Collins added 10 off the bench.
“We’re looking forward to another opportunity to prove how hard we have been working,” said Harrison as the team hopes to shake off their low shooting percentages in the Williams game.
After last night’s home game against Castleton — the results of which can be found on the Middlebury Athletics website — the Panthers will take on Hamilton for another important NESCAC game this Saturday, Jan. 30 in Pepin Gymnasium. With just five NESCAC games left in the regular season schedule, the team will need to capitalize on the weak opponents heading into the playoff race against tougher teams.
(01/21/16 12:43am)
The women’s basketball team started 2016 by racking up bus mileage, travelling to New York City, Boston and Lewiston, Maine. The team left for break with a 3-1 record and have gone 6-4 since they returned. They currently stand at sixth place in the NESCAC with a 2-2 conference record.
After a 79-58 win over Salve Regina at Pepin Gym on Wednesday, Dec. 30, the Panthers opened the new year in the Big Apple for the Jan. 2-3 NYU Holiday Classic. The Panthers started hot with a 72-59 victory over Bridgewater State. First-year Catherine Harrison ’19 led the Panthers with a game-high 23 points, while Sarah Kaufman ‘18 added 19. In their second game against the hosts and fourth-ranked NYU, Middlebury led 34-32 at the half thanks to 13 points from Sabrina Weeks ’18 off of the bench. Ultimately, the Violets pulled ahead and held onto a narrow 70-62 loss.
The Panthers opened NESCAC play against Wesleyan at Pepin Gym on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Middlebury dominated the Cardinals from the tip, jumping out to a 23-8 lead by the end of the first quarter. Kaufman once again led the charge with a career-high 31 points on the way to a pivotal 76-59 win. Harrison carried the defense with 15 rebounds to go along with her 12 points, while sophomore guard Eileen Daley ’18 followed closely behind with 11 boards of her own. The Panthers faced a quick turn around to take on Connecticut College on Jan. 9, and fatigue ultimately held them back in a back and forth 66-53 loss. After falling behind early, Colleen Cavaney ’19 spurred a 12-0 Panthers run to give them a 25-24 lead at the half. The score remained tight until just under six minutes to play at 47-46, but the Camels pulled away down the stretch to even the Panthers’ NESCAC record at 1-1. Kaufman had a team high 17 points, while Harrison added 15 rebounds.
In a break from league action, Middlebury capitalized on a weak opponent with a 65-45 win over SUNY Postdam, holding control of the scoreboard for the whole game. Alex Huffman ’19 had a career- and game-high 16 points for the Panthers in the first of a three game road stint.
After the Jan. 12 victory over SUNY Potsdam, the Panthers took on defending league champion and 12th-ranked Tufts in Medford, Massachusetts. The Jumbos dominated the Panthers 57-37.
In a game when the Panthers needed one of their best performances of the season, they shot a dismal 21 percent from the field, 11-51, and they committed 19 turnovers, more than twice the amount the Jumbos committed.
Coach KJ Krasco called the 20 point loss “a wake-up call,” as the the team will most likely return to Medford in February for the NESCAC championship.
The next day, journeying all the way to Maine, the Panthers battled Bates 43-43 going into the fourth quarter. The final ten minutes could be a defining moment of Middlebury’s season, as they avoided slipping to a 1-3 conference start. The Panthers proved resilient, recovering nicely from their loss to Tufts with a 61-56 victory as they clawed their way back to .500 in the NESCAC. The victory against Bates was a true team win, with each starter scoring at least nine points. Kaufman led the way with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.
In the midst of Middlebury’s early January games with Elizabeth Knox ’17, the team’s only junior, injured, the underclassmen continued to shine. Highlights included Harrison, who continued her strong freshman campaign, earning NESCAC Player of the Week honors the week of Jan. 4 and a spot on the NYU Holiday All-Classic Team. She is averaging a double-double on the season with 13.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, and is shooting an impressive 53.5% from the field. After she shot just 16 percent, 2-12, in the Tufts loss, it became clear that a key going forward will be consistency from Harrison and other underclassmen. Kaufman anchors the team, averaging almost 17 points-per-game, and shooting an impressive 36.6 percent from beyond the arc.
The team will be back in action this Sunday, Jan. 24 when they travel to Williamstown, Mass. to take on the Ephs to try and climb above .5oo in league play.