The Middlebury men’s soccer team had their five-game winning streak snapped in their conference regular season finale with a 1-0 loss at Wesleyan on Saturday, Oct. 26. The streak began with a doubleheader two weeks ago at home against Trinity and Hamilton, continued with a conference win on the road at Bates 2-1 on Saturday, Oct. 19, and finished with two dismantlings of in-state opponents, Castleton State And Southern Vermont, by a total score of 14-1.
The Cardinals (7-5-1 overall, 6-3 in the NESCAC) bested the Panthers (8-4-1, 5-4-1) by a slim margin on a heart-breaking goal. As usual, the Panthers outshot their opponent (9-8), but Wesleyan took the only shot that found the twine. A direct kick from Wesleyan’s Omar Bravo slipped through the hands of Panther keeper Ethan Collins ’14 and found the foot of Ben Bratt who finished effectively to give the Cardinals the lead with just 14:33 left in the game.
Captain Graham Knisley ’14 still has a sour taste in his mouth from Saturday’s loss.
“We deserved a tie; everyone knows Wesleyan got off easy with their goal,” he said. “We couldn’t quite sync up in our offensive third like we have been the last few weeks. Our passing was a little off, and we weren’t as creative as we should have been.”
Early in the second half both teams failed to convert on good opportunities. Seven minutes in, Tyler Smith ’14 headed the ball in front of the net, but Cardinal keeper Emmett McConnell made a daring save. Shortly thereafter Bravo almost finished with a blast from inside ten yards that Collins rejected.
The game had significant repercussions on the Panthers’ playoff position.
“Losing to Wesleyan was obviously frustrating because after winning five in a row we put ourselves in a great position to secure a top four finish in the league and didn’t get the job done,” captain Sam Peisch ’14 said.
In the midst of their winning streak, Middlebury topped Bates (4-7-2, 0-7-2) 2-1 on the road on Saturday, Oct. 19 to win the Hedley Reynolds Cup, in what head coach David Saward called a “well-balanced and very competitive soccer match.”
The Panthers made a lot of noise around halftime. In the 44th minute Harper Williams ’14 hit an “absolute beauty,” according to Knisley, from just outside the 18-yard box to give Middlebury the lead.
The Panthers added to their cushion with another Adam Glaser ’17 goal in the 53rd minute with an assist from Noah Goss-Woliner ’15.
Knisley had nothing but praise for the play of his teammates, Williams, Goss-Woliner and Glaser.
“Both [Williams] and [Goss-Woliner] have been playing their best soccer since they put on the Middlebury uniform two years ago,” Knisley said. “It’s been fun to see their progress. They’ve been dominating the midfield virtually every game, and as a defender for Middlebury, I’ve never felt more confident in the guys playing directly in front of me.”
“The first-year has proven himself to be one of the most dangerous strikers in the league,” Knisley said of Glaser. “He undoubtedly has many more goals ahead of him in his career. His desire makes him a game-changer.”
Tyler Grees brought the Bobcats within one with a goal in the 64th minute, but Middlebury dominated the majority of the game.
“Other than the one opportunity we gave them to score, which they unfortunately capitalized on, we outplayed them and controlled the entire game,” Knisely said.
Peisch, too, was impressed with the team’s effort against Bates.
“Bates was a complete team victory, top to bottom,” he said.
The results of the season’s final NESCAC games on Wednesday, Oct. 30 will determine Middlebury’s playoff standing, but the Panthers know they are going to the playoffs. Despite coming off a tough loss, the Panthers are confident.
“There isn’t a single guy on our team who doesn’t believe we can win it all,” Peisch said. “That has been the attitude all of us have worked hard since the end of last season to create and it remains as strong as ever.”
There is an incredible amount of desire among this squad to make a run at the NESCAC championship. After a slow start that saw the Panthers sitting at 2-2-1 in the NESCAC a week into October, the declaration from Andres Rodlauer ’16 that Middlebury had best team in the NESCAC and was poised to make a run for a title seemed far-fetched. But, as the playoffs approach, the team remains confident and the men’s intense belief in their own abilities creates a feeling of destiny around this squad.
“I have never been more proud to be a part of a team as I am right now with this one,” Knisley said. “This is a special group.”
“We are good enough to make a big run in the NESCACs,” he continued, “We believe we can do it. Quite frankly, no one has more talent than we do.”
Men's Soccer Falls in Final Game Against Cardinals
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