P A I R O F S I X E S Gabe Wood's last second goal lifted the Panthers past Wesleyan in the NESCAC title game.

Author: Geoff Homer

In what may have been the most exciting and action-packed weekend of Middlebury lacrosse ever, the men's lacrosse team captured the 2006 NESCAC Championship when Gabe Wood '06 scored the game winner as time expired to give the Panthers their sixth straight championship. The Panthers were propelled into the championship after Travis Meyer '06 scored the game winner in a thrilling triple overtime game against Tufts in a downpour, setting up the match against Wesleyan.

Sunday's game, under clear skies, was the last NESCAC Championship for Coach Erin Quinn, who is moving on after the season to become athletic director. With the victory, Quinn's teams have won every NESCAC championship since post-season play began in 2000.

The game began with Middlebury scoring first as Hank Sheehan '06 beat Wesleyan goalie Charlie Congleton. After trading possessions numerous times, Wesleyan answered with a man-up tally of their own. The first quarter ended in a 1-1 tie, mainly because the defense played great and Alex Palmisano '07 had two great saves.

The second quarter began with Jim Cabrera '08 scoring his first goal of the game as Jeff Pello '06 had a great assist, allowing Cabrera to dodge his defender and shoot the ball to the top right corner for the goal. It would be the last Middlebury goal of the half as Wesleyan ran off four straight goals, ending the half up 5-2. The damage could have been worse if not for the stellar play by Wood, Ben Raymond '07 and Scott Atkinson '06 on defense. In addition, Palmisano made an incredible save, charging out of the crease and checking a Wesleyan attackman, stripping the ball loose and likely saving a goal for the team.

The third quarter began the same way the second ended, with Wesleyan scoring to go up 6-2. Nick Bastis '07 finally stopped the bleeding when he scored from the right side of the goal. After another Wesleyan score, Cabrera sparked the Panther comeback scoring from top of the box. On the next possession, Peter Mellen '07, who dominated all day on face-offs, created a fast break opportunity, passing the ball to Sheehan who immediately flipped it back to Mellen for the underhand goal. Shortly thereafter, Cabrera added another goal with a shot to the top corner.

After three quarters of lacrosse, the scoreboard read 7-6, Wesleyan. The Panthers won the opening face-off, but were unable to get the offense going. Both teams traded possessions with Palmisano single-handedly keeping the Panthers in the game as he made a series of three spectacular saves. Relentlessly pressuring the Wesleyan offense, the Panthers were finally able to regain possession and cleared the ball into the offensive zone. After the ball went around the box, Bastis tied the game with a feed from Cabrera.

Wesleyan answered the Panther charge with another goal, as the leg injury to long-stick midfielder Glenn Bickley '08 appeared to cause confusion for a moment. Bickley, one of the key contributors to the defense during the game, would not return. With the Panthers down 8-7, Mellen, the face-off savage, won another and took it into the offensive zone. After passing it around the box, Cabrera scored the last of his game-high four goals with a high bounce shot that found the upper right corner, tying the game up again. Wesleyan would not quit, as they scored again to go up 9-8 with 3:12 remaining. In what became routine in the fourth quarter, Mellen again won the faceoff and brought the ball to the offensive box. The ball was passed to Sheehan, who came around from behind the goal and shoved it in for the game tier with less than two minutes remaining.

With the score 9-9, Wesleyan gained possession, before the Panther defense aggressively pressured Wesleyan's offense, causing them to turn the ball over. As the defense attempted to clear the ball, Wesleyan recovered, and the Panther defense got a 30 second penalty in the process. With the game tied, and 30 seconds left, the Panther defense played very aggressively and was able to put the ball on the ground. In a play that will be talked about for ages, Wood defied logic as he scooped up the ground ball and took it the full length of the field, dodging many defenders along the way, before switching to his left hand and faking out the Wesleyan goalie to score the game winner as the clock expired, setting off a raucous Panther celebration.

Cabrera ended the day with four goals and an assist, while Sheehan and Bastis each had two goals and an assist. Palmisano ended with 10 saves in goal.

The Panthers seek to continue their post-season success as they host the first round of the NCAA Division III Championships, with a rematch against Springfield College, hoping to avenge the loss suffered earlier in the season. The game takes place Saturday at 1 p.m. in Alumni Stadium.