Lax improves to 3-1 over spring break

Author: Geoff Homer

While all of us enjoyed the sun and sand, the men's lacrosse team was hard at work competing in three games. The Panthers won the first game at home before going south for their annual spring break trip, during which they compiled a .500 record on the road.

On Saturday, March 18, Middlebury played host to 11th ranked Stevens Institute on Kohn Field. In a hard-fought battle, the Panthers prevailed 13-12. The first half was evenly scored, with the Panthers ending it with a 5-4 advantage. Both squads came out firing to begin the third quarter, with each team trading goals before the Panthers went up by a score of 12-8. Not conceding defeat, the Stevens Ducks scored the next three to bring the game down to the wire with Middlebury holding a 12-11 advantage. Aaron Herter '06, who earlier scored two goals, netted the game-winner with seven minutes to play. Stevens seemed poised to tie the game but time ran out. Henry Sheehan '06 led all scorers with four points, while Jim Cabrera '08 and Jon Sisto '06 each contributed two goals.

The following Wednesday, the Panthers played their first road game of the season at Gettysburg, in what now is an annual match-up between two of the top three teams in the nation.

Despite a strong effort by the defense led by Gabe Wood '06, the Panthers were on the wrong side of the contest, losing 7-4. According to Co-Captain J.P. Coviello '06, "We played well, but they managed to keep the ball out of our offense's hands for the majority of the game. When we had the ball, our possessions were often short-lived, which didn't help the situation."

Gettysburg opened the game scoring the first few goals before the Panthers rallied with goals by Captain Travis Meyer '06, Jeff Pello '06 and Frank Granara '08, who received a rare feed from Wood. The Panthers entered the second half down 4-3 before Gettysburg struck again to go up two goals.

Middlebury responded immediately as Cabrera rifled a shot to the back of the net, but that would be the end of the day for the Panthers as the Bullets played a possession game, denying Middlebury more scoring opportunities.

Hoping to end the trip on a positive note and pick up their first road victory, the team regrouped and traveled to Connecticut to take on the Camels of Connecticut College.

As is the norm for any Middlebury opponent, the Camels showed up with their A game, and left nothing on the field in their battle with Middlebury. "Once again, this team's goal from the first whistle was to possess the ball and keep it out of the hands of our offense," said Coviello. "They realized their goal for the most part, giving us limited possession time throughout the game. When our offense had the ball, we seemed fairly impatient initially, with hopes to put the ball in the net immediately rather than being patient and waiting for beneficial match-ups to develop."

Led by Meyer, who had a strong first half and ended the day with two goals and two assists, the Panthers were able to leave New London with an 8-6 victory. As was customary throughout the trip, the defense played great as Wood, Scott Atkinson '06 and Ben Raymond '07 all made key stops and takeaways. Alex Palmisano '07 was stellar in goal with 13 saves while Cabrera continued his scoring streak, tallying two goals. Nick Bastis '07 and Sisto each contributed two goals as well.

The Panthers currently sit in second place in the NESCAC standings, half a game behind Bates College. The team must continue their high level of play to ensure success as they enter the month of April, playing arguably the toughest schedule in all of Division III. The Panthers look to continue their success as they host Wesleyan, a contest that features a rematch of last year's NESCAC championship.