Men's Soccer Shoots Down Cardinals in OT

Author: Josh Axelrod

It took 90 minutes of play for Middlebury's men's occer team to find its rhythm and they did it with a man down. Tied 1-1 at the end of regulation time, the Panthers defeated Wesleyan with a golden goal from Pat Saunders '04 7:40 into the first period of overtime.
The game started sluggishly for the Panthers, who were surprised by an early goal 10:45 into the first half from the Cardinals' Evan Berding. Connor Shapiro '03 brought the Panthers back into the game 10 minutes later to tie the game at 1-1. Five minutes later, Brian Lavin was yellow-carded in what would set the standard of questionable reffing for the rest of the game.
Frustrated and still slower than in their showing last week against Trinity, the Panthers resorted to long ball offense for the rest of the game. Wesleyan broke down emotionally, but was able to put together slightly more controlled plays than Middlebury in the midfield. The Middlebury defense won the day with their excellent playing, making it only a five save day for goalkeeper Craig Hirsh '05. With 15 minutes left in the first half, Middlebury put together two plays that resulted in shots from Jason Griffiths '04 and Derek Cece '06, though both failed to reach the net. Wesleyan goalkeeper Dan Pinrod was certainly a key element in Middlebury's frustration, often stripping the offense of any chance for a goal.
Wesleyan continued their slight dominance into the second half, but the emotional tone of the game was heightened when dual yellow cards were given to two Wesleyan players 12 minutes into the half. One minute later, Brian Lavin's unfortunate red card seemed to spell the end of Middlebury's hopes for a win.
But as Kyle Dezotell '03 put it, "We found a way to win, as good teams do." And indeed, the Panthers seemed to be a different team once they had lost a player. Their offense became more cautious, their defense tighter. In the final 10 minutes of regulation play, Middlebury put together two offensive charges, the first being stopped only by a spectacular recovery by the Cardinals' keeper, and the second swinging right after Dezotell had faked out the keeper and was surrounded by the defense.
Overtime began with a very pensive mood. Could Middlebury pull off the win? Dezotell gave an affirmative yes to that question with his shot that deflected off the post 4:08 into overtime. Three minutes later, Middlebury put together its final offensive push that resulted in Haddad's assist to Saunders who silenced the exuberantly hopeful Cardinals with the overtime, game-winning goal.
Exciting play continues this week as Middlebury faces Colby-Sawyer on Tuesday and then plays a double header in Maine against Colby and Bowdoin on Saturday and Sunday. With a strong performance in this weekend's games, the Panthers should be able to cement their position atop the NESCAC's overall season rankings.