Panthers Pounce on Castleton, Play Trinity to Draw

Author: Josh Axelrod

The Middlebury men's soccer team is off to a promising start after its unfortunate loss to Western New England College 3-2 on Sept. 7. Five days later at Castleton State, the Panthers turned on the heat by demolishing the Spartans 8-0. The scoring started early and it didn't slow until the late in the game. Middlebury went up 6-0 in the first 45 minutes of play and finished with a pair of goals in the second half.
The team's all-stars showcased their talents as Kyle Dezotell '03 completed a hat trick. His teammate Sam Raymond '04 added a pair of goals, and Brian Lavin '03, Pat Saunders '04 and Jacob Whitted '06 each scored one goal for the Panthers. Castleton was forced to play a defensive game against the quick and constant offense of Middlebury, tallying only two shots on goal.
This past weekend, Middlebury played host to Trinity in its first New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) game of the season. In a spectacular display of New England soccer, the team tied the Bantams 1-1 in double overtime.
Middlebury took an early lead when Dezotell converted a corner kick just 4:47 into the game. The Bantams fought back instantly though, scoring 38 seconds later with a goal by Morgan Sandal.
For the 104 remaining minutes of play, Middlebury out-shot Trinity 8-4 but was unable to translate any of that offense onto the scoreboard. Though the Trinity offense was able to break Middlebury's midfield a few times, Middlebury's defense played a stellar game, feeding balls out of the defensive third and back up to the midfield where the Panthers were dominant throughout the game.
In the final minutes of regulation play, Middlebury's offense came alive with an excellent corner kick attempt that went just wide of the goal. Minutes later, Dezotell missed a long arching shot just to the left of the Trinity goal. As Matt Haddad '05 put it, "Kyle and John Rusten '05 were dangerous at all times and could not be contained by Trinity's defense. We were just flat out robbed by the few chances we got that looked in."
Twenty minutes of overtime play began with Middlebury still on the attack. Trinity provided no offensive threat and looked as if they were content to wait out the tie. In the final five minutes of extended play, a Middlebury corner kick found its way into the back of the net — only to be taken back by the referee on a questionable call.
"I think it is only a matter of time until the goals start flowing like they did against Castleton," says Haddad. If that happens, the Panthers are certain to wreak fear into the eyes of future opponents.
This Saturday at 1 p.m., the Panthers will continue NESCAC play against an always-competitive Wesleyan squad.