Men's Soccer Falls to Williams in OT

Author: Josh Axelrod

Nothing more could have gone right for the Middlebury men's soccer team last weekend at the New England Small Colleges Athletic Conference (NESCAC) semifinals, except for a win. Facing their dreaded perennial foe the Williams Ephs, Middlebury held a 1-0 edge into the 90th minute of play only to find their dreams of a playoff victory dashed with three seconds to play and a quick golden overtime goal that sealed the Panthers' fate with a 2-1 loss.
Earlier in the season, Williams defeated Middlebury 3-0 in what served as a catalyst for Middlebury's late-season success. After the loss, the Panthers went undefeated in their next six games. Going into Saturday's game, there was nothing but confidence pushing all of the players to give their best performances of the year. And they did, regardless of what the score may reflect.
Play opened evenly with Williams striking first on a shot from their star, Alex Blake, 21 minutes into the game. Goalkeeper Dave Lindholm '05 stood his ground, and stopped him in his tracks with a terrific save. The Panthers quickly rallied back on a shot from Sam Raymond '04 that was deflected away by Williams' goalkeeper Nick Armstrong.
As the first half dwindled to a scoreless close, play got physical and the Ephs' Romel Wallen received a red card and was ejected from the game. Middlebury saw its opportunity to put the game away and came back onto the pitch to prove that it deserved a spot in Sunday's championship game.
With the game turning in Middlebury's favor, the Panthers easily controlled the field, sending play after play towards the Ephs' net. Yet, even as the Panthers pounced with a hail of shots from close range with 10 minutes to play, nothing would find the back of the net, keeping the game close.
With time winding ever closer to the game-ending whistle, the Panthers sought out Kyle Dezotell '03, already Middlebury's all-time goal scorer, and fed him the ball just inside the box. Firing hard and low, Dezotell placed the ball into the lower left corner and finally found the back of the net. Williams' doom appeared to be sealed.
Frantically, the Ephs scrambled for a goal. With 10 seconds left, Middlebury's defense cleared the ball out into the midfield only to find that Williams' goalkeeper had come out for support and was able to easily field the ball into the war zone in front of the Panthers' net. Playing the ball well, he popped the ball over the majority of the Middlebury defense and landed it in the 18-yard penalty box. The clock continued to tick, and with three seconds remaining, an errant jab by Eph Ryan Olsen found its way out of the crowd and into the corner of Middlebury's goal. The game was miraculously tied.
Dismayed and stunned, Middlebury could no longer contain the inertia that Williams gained from its goal. Three minutes into overtime, Williams forward Khari Stephenson, perfectly positioned seven yards out from the goal, ended the contest on a cross from Blake. Irritated, frustrated and disappointed, Middlebury's season came to a close.
Despite the devestating loss, the fact remains that after a slow start to the season, the Panthers matured and played their best soccer of the year against the NESCAC's most formidable and dangerous teams.
Middlebury finished the season strongly with a 9-4-3 record and went 5-2-2 in NESCAC play. Though it will lose many talented players to graduation next spring, the younger players on the team show great promise. This strong core of talent will surely continue Middlebury's tradition of excellent play and give the College hope for yet another thrilling championship run in the very near future.