Third-ranked Panthers earn their stripes Men's lax begins annual run at the National Championship with 3-1 record

Author: Tom McCann

The Middlebury men's lacrosse team knows that if they are to make a run at the National Championship again this year, they will need to once again turn Kohn Field into a fortress. Beating the Panthers at home has never been easy, and on current form nothing appears to have changed. However, in their only game on the road so far, the Panthers were defeated by Gettysberg, giving the men a 3-1 record to start the season.

The curtain was raised on Middlebury's season when Springfield College rolled into town. Springfield had lost their two previous games before arriving at Kohn Field, and while they pushed Middlebury, could not come away with anything to show for their efforts. Springfield opened the scoring in the first quarter, before the Panthers struck back with four consecutive goals. The visitors answered back, but Middlebury added one more to go into the halftime break leading 5-2.

While Springfield fought manfully in the second half, the Panthers always looked in control, taking a 9-5 lead with less than four minutes remaining. Over the last 1:09, Springfield scored two man-up goals, resulting in a final score of 9-7, somewhat flattering the visitors.

Following Springfield, the Panthers hosted Stevens Tech, ranked 12th before the game. A tight first half led to the teams entering the locker rooms tied at 2-2 after Stevens Tech had taken an early lead. The game remained close through the third stanza too, and after Jim Cabrera '08 added his second goal of the game, following on from a three-goal outing against Springfield, to give Middlebury a 5-4 lead, Stevens Tech answered back once again.

With just eight seconds on the clock in the third quarter however, Henry Sheehan '06 put the Panthers back in front and gave the hosts a huge psychological advantage heading into the final quarter. Middlebury was never able to coast in the second half, but every time Stevens Tech scored, the Panthers found a reply, eventually pulling out a gutsy 9-7 victory.

Finally on the road, Middlebury made the trip to Gettysburg, ranked 13 in the nation before the contest, looking to extend their winning start to the season. The game plan went out of the window, however, when the Bullets streaked into a 5-0 lead early in the second period. Heading into the last 30 seconds of the half, the Panthers trailed 7-2 and looked dead and buried, before netting twice in the last 25 seconds and having a third goal ruled out as time had apparently expired. Perhaps jolted back into action by this late run, Gettysburg restored their considerable advantage with seven unanswered goals in the third period, leading 14-4 heading into the fourth period.

In the final period, the Bullets added four more, extending their run to 11-0, before the Panthers answered with two consolation goals, returning home on the end of an 18-8 defeat.

Great teams know how to respond when dealt setbacks, so when Connecticut College came to Kohn Field, it was imperative that the Panthers suffered no hangover from the Gettysburg defeat. The third ranked Panthers took time to get into their stride, and held a slender 1-0 lead after the first period, only to explode into action in the second.

Leading 6-1 at the break, the Panthers looked to make the most of a porous Connecticut defense in the second half, well and truly erasing the memory of Gettysburg. After the Camels pegged Middlebury back to 8-2, the Panthers notched eight goals in a row, routing the hapless visitors 18-3. In-form Cabrera tallied six goals and two assists in the game, while Alex Palmisano '07 made eight saves for the Panthers in 47 minutes while Ned Courtemanche '05 picked up four saves during his 12:33 guarding the net.

The Panthers next take to the field on April 2, when they make the trip to Wesleyan College. While it seems the team is more than comfortable at home, it is crucial that the men pick up their first win on the road this coming weekend. However, with four games down, the Panthers are ranked third in the country, and once again look good for their annual run at the National Championship in the first week of May.