Bowdoin Shocker Sends Renewed Intensity Into Men's Lax

Author: Nick Ferrer

After cruising through the first half of the season and just days after blowing away a tough Tufts team 17-6, the men's lacrosse team finally met its match in Maine.

On Saturday, the nation's top-ranked Panthers found themselves in an unfamiliar situation when they took the field against a fired-up squad from Bowdoin. Despite entering the game with a 21-game winstreak that dated back to early last season, the Panthers knew at once that the ensuing 60 minutes would be a struggle. Just four minutes into the game, the Polar Bears set their offense in motion and rocketed a shot past Panther goalie Eric Krieger '04 to take an early 1-0 lead. Zach Herbert '02, who led all scorers on the day, immediately responded with two goals of his own to change the momentum and give Middlebury a 2-1 lead after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, strong defensive efforts by both the Panthers and the Polar Bears held their opposing offenses in check. With 8:48 remaining in the quarter, the Polar Bears knotted the score at two, but strong showings by both goaltenders again kept the game scoreless until Herbert and Matt Dunn '02 converted on back-to-back goals after the two-minute warning. The two late goals by Herbert and Dunn afforded Middlebury a 4-2 halftime lead in the Panther's lowest scoring half of the year.

Just 10 seconds into the third quarter, the Polar Bears converted a fast-break to cut the lead to 4-3. Forty seconds after that, Dunn answered the call for the Panthers when he broke through Bowdoin's defense to scorch a shot past Bowdoin's MVP goalie P.J. Prest and regained the two-goal lead. The game continued to see-saw throughout the remainder of the quarter as the Polar Bears netted two consecutive goals at the six minute mark to tie the game and then fell behind again when Middlebury Captain Dave Seeley '02 tallied his first of the game to give the Panthers a 6-5 lead at the quarter's end.

In the final quarter, the Polar Bears capitalized on their home field advantage. Fueled by perhaps the biggest crowd in NESCAC competition this year, the Polar Bears exploded for four unanswered goals and took a commanding 9-6 lead with only five minutes remaining on the clock. The lead would prove to be too much. While Greg Carroll '02 and Mike Frissora '03 both found the goal late in the game, the offense failed to convert a man-up opportunity with under two minutes to play that might have sent the game to overtime. Bowdoin's goalie came up clutch when it counted, and the Panthers were left wondering what might have been.

Stripped of their perfect record and number-one ranking, Middlebury had only a night to rest before facing Colby in yet another match-up between two nationally ranked NESCAC teams. This time, Middlebury wouldn't let it happen again.

The Panthers got off to a quick start to take a 3-0 lead thanks to goals by Carroll, Dunn and Mike Saraceni '04. Middlebury then went on to lead 6-3 at halftime before finding themselves in a position that seemed all too familiar. Somehow, the White Mules had crept back into the game – and they kept on creeping. Perhaps it was the mystique of Maine or the jinx of the Great North, but Middlebury again found itself in trouble as Colby pulled within one goal and looked poised to take the lead as the game entered the final quarter.

Fortunately for the Panthers, the offense awoke to score three more times before the game's end and Middlebury walked away with a 10-7 victory. Carroll's three goals and two assists led the Panther's offensive effort, while Krieger recorded nine saves in net. Herbert had four points in the win, while Dunn and Jamie Duke '05 combined for three goals and two assists to lead the Panthers' midfield.

At the close of the weekend, Middlebury could hardly celebrate its wins over Colby and Tufts. Instead, the shocking loss to Bowdoin seemed to be the only game worth pondering.

But the more they pondered, the more the players and coaches realized that the loss actually meant very little. Indeed, the two teams will likely meet again in the NESCAC tournament and the Panthers are confident that they will be ready the second time around. According to several players, the loss has helped the team gain focus. With only a few games remaining before the post-season, the team now knows that it is beatable but it also knows what it must do to win. The Panthers look to carry that knowledge into this week's competition when they host another dangerous NESCAC opponent, Trinity. The game could be one to boost the confidence as it heads towards the final contests of the season. The game will be played at 1 p.m. on the natural grass of the Kohn stadium field .