Men's Lacrosse Topples Two Tough Conference Foes

Author: David Freedman

The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's lacrosse team put away three close games over top-20 opponents this past week to keep its unblemished conference record intact. The Panthers went on key second-half runs in each game to beat Tufts 12-7 on Wednesday, Bowdoin 13-11 on Saturday and Amherst 8-6 on Sunday.
Captain Mike Frissora '03 was proud of Middlebury's efforts against the quality opponents in conference competition saying, "These tight games give us great experience and we learned what it takes to win close games, playing for the full 60 minutes."
When Middlebury went down to Medford, Mass., to take on the Tufts Jumbos, the field conditions did not favor the Panthers' high powered offense. However, after being down 4-3 at the half, Middlebury put up nine goals after the break to put Tufts away.
Down 6-4 six minutes into the third quarter, Jon Sisto '06 ignited a four-goal run by the Panther offense with a timely goal and an assist, highlighting his three goals and two assists on the day. This run would leave Tufts frustrated and helpless by the end of the quarter, and put Middlebury up 8-6. Goalie Eric Krieger '04 and the Panther defense, led by Caleb Holmes '03 and John West '04, allowed no fourth quarter goals as Middlebury added another four unanswered scores to put the game away.
David Leach '05 had a spectacular offensive day, scoring three goals from the midfield position, and at one point causing a turnover by his own net, running the full length of the field and bouncing one home.
Head Coach Erin Quinn described Leach and Sisto as "The offensive sparks on the day. In the second half we were able to attack their zone better, and they helped us pull away as the game went on." Sisto added, "This was a big week for us. I'm just glad I could do my best to help the team win."
The second-half effort against Tufts that held the Jumbos to three second-half goals and very few possessions would not be the case against New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rival Bowdoin on Peter Kohn Turf Field. While ultimately winning the game and exacting revenge on last year's only loss in another national championship run, Middlebury let the Polar Bears get back into the game one too many times.
The Panther attack started out beautifully 1:45 into the game when Middlebury's leading scorers, Charley Howe '04 and Mike Saraceni '04, connected to open the game's scoring. Sisto would add one of his two goals on the day a minute later to make the score 2-0. With Bowdoin rallying, middie Greg Bastis '04 added two first-quarter goals, one off an unbelievable feed from Saraceni, to keep the Panthers ahead by the end of the first quarter.
Middlebury began one of its patented surges before the half to seemingly end Bowdoin's hopes of another upset with a three-goal run in two minutes. Travis Meyer '06 netted his first career goal off a slick feed from Saraceni, who was left wide open to dismantle Bowdoin's goalie. Sisto fed Saraceni for another of his four goals on the day, and Frissora torched two Bowdoin defenders with a display of his athletic ability for one of his three unassisted goals in the game.
The Polar Bears would then net a goal before the half and the first two of the second to keep themselves in the game. Then Frissora and the rest of the Panther offense took over and converted enough opportunities for Middlebury to stay undefeated in the conference. Eight minutes into the third quarter Frissora notched another unassisted score and much needed goal that inspired a fourth-quarter run where he fed Saraceni for one goal. Howe added his second point on the day, and Sisto rounded it out with a great goal off a fast break feed from Saraceni and a great up-field run by Bob Wannop '04.
Frissora complimented Bowdoin's efforts for not folding in third. "It was a hard fought battle and our team came through," Frissora said. "At halftime we refocused and knew that we could win as long as we remained composed and played our style of lacrosse."
Saraceni's seven-point day helped secure a close win, and his play continued the next day in another NESCAC game with Amherst. Leading 3-0 coming into the second quarter, Amherst would put up four straight to give them the lead come halftime.
Less than a minute into the second half, Frissora would spark a Panther run again with another goal on an unassisted drive to the net. Saraceni added his second on the day only moments later, and suddenly the Panthers took the lead. Middlebury would extend its lead to 7-4 and essentially put the game out of reach with a great goal from Bastis.
Krieger had another outstanding effort in net, tallying 13 saves in the game. Quinn was extremely proud of the defensive effort against a strong Amherst attack. "The defense was stifling in the second half, yielding very few quality shot opportunities. Holmes did a tremendous job on their top feeder and all of our defensemen neutralized their attack," Quinn said.
Middlebury will next play Trinity on April 19 and Williams on April 23. Middlebury has moved to 6-0 in the conference, and is looking for its third straight NESCAC Championship and fourth straight NCAA Championship.