Middlebury Men's Soccer Stays Undefeated Following Amherst Tie

Author: Dave Freedman

Middlebury's men's soccer team came out of Amherst this past Saturday with its second consecutive tie, a 0-0 draw that put the team to 6-0-2 for the year, and at 12th in the nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll.

"I thought it was a very well played match with both teams playing passionately," said Head Coach David Saward. "Neither team deserved to lose in my opinion."

Craig Hirsch '05 and the Panther defenders did all they could to secure the team's sixth shutout in eight games. Hirsch gave much of the credit for the defensive effort to the guys playing in front of him. "With only three at the back, our two wing defenders have been man marking, which is difficult," Hirsch noted. "But they have played incredibly well so far this year."

Captain Jason Griffiths '04 has been anchoring the Middlebury defense almost flawlessly this season, while the rotation of Daniel DiTomasso '06, Nick Colacchio '05, and Gabe Wood '06 has also contributed to the team's defensive success.

Saward applauded Hirsch's 12 saves in 110 minutes of play and added, "The leadership of Jason was phenomenal. Daniel diTomasso and Gabe Wood defended resolutely as well."

The game was not to be without its scary moments, as Amherst forwards hit a crossbar with minutes remaining in regulation and then missed the open net off the rebound. However, Middlebury had its opportunities as well, with Andrew Stewart '04 and Captain Pat Saunders '04 moving the ball out of the mid-field quickly, feeding the forwards with excellent pases and opening up the wings for Panther midfielders to create crossing opportunities.

Middlebury's best opportunity to score came in overtime after a rebound shot fell to Junior Kellan Florio's foot. He hit a solid shot, but Amherst's goalkeeper got just enough of the ball to tip it over the crossbar and out of play.

The team was a bit frustrated with the result, but Griffiths was encouraged by the team's efforts. "They've been nationally ranked all year, and I think both teams were a bit unlucky, but we wanted this one. We gave away 23 fouls in the match. We really just couldn't get a good flow going."

This weekend, the Panthers will host NESCAC archrival Williams, which comes in with a 6-1-1 record overall. "After tying Amherst and tying Bowdoin, we really want to go into this weekend and beat Williams" Griffiths said. "Once we get going, the conference is going to be in some trouble."