Men's Lacrosse to Begin Domination Anew

Author: David Freedman

The Middlebury men's lacrosse team is ranked number one in the nation in various polls and is highly favored to defend its three consecutive National Championships, and started their season with an emphatic win to prove that the Panthers have not fallen off since the end of last season. Despite the big win, the Panthers are making sure to take the season "day by day." The team's approach to this year, chosen by tri-Captains Christopher Davis '03, Mike Frissora '03 and Brian McGregor '03, was pronounced clearly on Saturday at Kohn Turf Field as Middlebury trounced New England College 13-3.
Middlebury opened the season with a dominating defensive effort. Goalie Eric Krieger '04 saw little action in three quarters of play by only facing five shots on goal. Head Coach Erin Quinn called the team's defensive tenacity "a dominating performance paced by John West's '04 on-ball play, ground ball pick-ups and runs in transition." Quinn had high praise for West and the other defensive players for their ability to shut down New England for 60 minutes. The various long and short pole defenders that Middlebury had on the field only allowed their opponents 11 shots.
Quinn credited Davis for setting the tone on offense with an oustanding performance, with four goals, two assists and good shot selection against an established goalie and zone defense.
Jamie Duke '05 opened the scoring with a goal midway through the first quarter, followed by a rocket from Davis to put the Panthers up 2-0. Duke added his second goal of the day as a result of good ball movement from his teammates giving him a good look at the net from 15 yards out. Davis took another powerful shot from 25 yards out against New England's zone that rifled its way into the back of the net. Middlebury would add two more goals by the end of the half to extend its lead 6-0 and the Panthers would never look back.
"Balance was the key," Quinn said. "With the entire team getting in the game and many players contributing to patient ball movement against their zone-- if not in the scoring column-- we had a great all around effort." Duke, Andrew Giordano '04 and Mark Foster '05 all put two goals on the board, and Frissora, Brad Myers '05 and David Leach '05 added two assists apiece.