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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Men’s Lacrosse Turns the Corner

The Middlebury men’s lacrosse team looks apt to turn around their early-season futility, winning four of the past five games against strong competition. This streak started against NESCAC rival Bowdoin on March 22, a game which they won convincingly 10-4.

Though had a setback in their 14-12 loss to Endicott on March 25, the team has since gotten back on track with a three-game winning streak. They squeezed out a tough one against Amherst 8-7 on March 29, had a somewhat routine win on the road at Hamilton 12-6 four days later and defeated Bates 10-7 on Saturday, April 5 to improve their conference record to 4-3 and their overall record to 5-5.

With their win over Bowdoin, Middlebury earned their long-awaited first win against a NESCAC school of the 2014 season.

A scoreless stretch of over 41 minutes from Bowdoin’s offense helped Middlebury cross the finish line in front. In addition, nine consecutive goals from Jon Broome ’16, Tim Giarrusso ’16 and Stephen Seymour ’14 helped the Panthers keep the pressure on Bowdoin. Panther goalkeeper and team captain Nate Gaudio ’14 made a season-high 19 saves during the game.

Middlebury then battled against 17th-ranked Endicott at Brown University but came up short 12-14. The game came down to the wire but Endicott was able to score three late goals in the final 2:30 of the game. Broome performed well once again, helping put four points on the board for Middlebury. Jack DeFrino ’17 and Cal Williams ’15 helped Middlebury keep it close by adding four and five ground balls, respectively.

The intense rivalry between Middlebury and Amherst did not disappoint during the Panthers’ 8-7 clutch victory over the 18th-ranked Lord Jeffs. With the win, Middlebury halted Amherst’s five-game win streak and also posted their second NESCAC conference victory.

The highlight of the game for Middlebury was the team’s strong defensive play, as they limited Amherst to just seven goals, well below the Lord Jeffs’ season average of 15 goals. Sophomore Jack Rautiola ’16 stood out for the Panthers on the offensive end, scoring three of Middlebury’s eight goals on the afternoon.

With the Panthers back in action four days later, a 12-6 win over Hamilton in a midweek contest gave Middlebury a third consecutive NESCAC win.

Six consecutive goals in the second half helped Middlebury put away the competition. Jack Cleary ’16 led the Panthers with three goals and fellow sophomore Broome contributed another two. Seymour also added two goals to pace the Panthers over Hamilton.

In their fourth successive NESCAC victory, the Panthers defeated Bates 10-7. Rautiola helped the Panthers with three goals and Cleary scored two. Rautiola’s hat-trick during the fourth quarter gave his team a gap that the Bobcats could not overcome.

Middlebury held a 40-37 advantage in shots over Bates for the game. The Panthers also picked up four more ground balls and committed fewer turnovers in order to maintain consistent pressure on the offensive end throughout the afternoon.

Four games remain in the Panthers’ regular season, including home matchups against Skidmore on April 19 and against Williams on April 23. The men hope to keep their win streak alive and carry their positive momentum into the NESCAC tournament, which kicks off at the end of April.

Next up for Middlebury is a road matchup against Trinity on Saturday, April 12. A win over the Bantams would set up the Panthers nicely for a potential home game in the conference quarterfinals.


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