Men's Soccer Heads to NESCAC Semis

Author: Josh Axelrod

The Middlebury men's soccer team achieved yet another banner year with two enormous wins last weekend over Connecticut College on Saturday and Trinity College, in the New England Small College Athletics Conference (NESCAC) playoffs, on Sunday.
Needing a win to solidify home- field advantage for Sunday's playoff game, Middlebury took to the field with a purpose on Saturday in an away game at Connecticut College. Kyle Dezotell '03 started the scoring early with a goal 14 minutes into the contest. Connecticut College held firm after the first goal, and tied the game with 10 minutes left to play in the first half. The Panthers were undaunted, however, as Andrew Stewart '04 gave Middlebury a permanent lead just five minutes after Connecticut's goal.
Coming back to the field after halftime, Middlebury carried the momentum from Stewart's goal and translated it into an offensive force that demolished Connecticut's defense and offense completely. Conor Shapiro '03 started the Middlebury onslaught 14 minutes into the second half with Middlebury's third goal. Kellan Florio '05 and J.B. Gerber '04 each added late goals to give the Panthers a 5-1 win.
Exuberant and energized, Middlebury took to its home field on Sunday against Trinity in the NESCAC playoffs. Having previously tied Trinity earlier in the season, Middlebury made very sure to take early command of the game that would decide the season. Shapiro added yet another goal to his impressive season in the first five minutes. At the eight minute mark, Jason Griffiths '04 brought the game to 2-0 on a 20-yard volley that was described by onlookers as, "absolutely amazing, the most beautiful shot I've ever seen."
Trinity continued through its troubles and was able to find the net on a goal from John Klaus, making the game 2-1 at halftime and putting a little pressure on the Panthers to pick their game up to its original pace. Goalkeeper Dave Lindholm '05 made two impressive diving saves during Trinity's offensive strike following its goal that insured Middlebury's lead going into halftime.
At 10 minutes into the second half, Dezotell became a Middlebury soccer legend by scoring the 33rd goal of his Middlebury career. Dezotell's goal broke a 32-goal record set by Tor Hultgren, who played for Middlebury from 1957-1960.
Just 20 minutes later, the Panthers stretched their lead to 4-1 with a cross from Gabe Wood '06 that resulted in a goal by Derek Cece '06. Andy Peters '03 scored the fifth and final goal of the contest off a beautiful assist from John Rusten '05 with only a few minutes left to play.
Middlebury now faces its arch- nemesis Williams this Saturday in the NESCAC semifinals, which will be hosted by Bowdoin.
Should the Panthers defeat Williams they will advance to the NESCAC championship game, facing either Bowdoin or Amherst. Earlier this season, the Panthers suffered a 2-0 loss to Bowdoin, the top-seeded team. However, if the Panthers should face Amherst, their odds will certainly be favorable. Midway through the season the Panthers notched a solid 2-0 victory over the Lord Jeffs.
Regardless of the team may face, however, it will enter the tournament riding high. After registering just four wins in their first nine games, the team has been undefeated in its last six. The red-hot Panthers now stand well-prepared for the ultimate postseason test.