Sports Briefs

Author: Geoff Homer

M/W soccer players honored

Five members of the Panther soccer squads have earned NSCAA All-New England honors for their performances this fall. Kim Walker '07, Zack Toth '07 and Casey Ftorek '08 all were named to the first-team, while Caitrin Abshere '07 was named to the second-team and Dave Lee '07 was selected to the third-team.

Walker and Abshere led the Panthers to the NESCAC Championship and advanced to the sweet 16 of the NCAA playoffs. The two midfielders had solid seasons for the Panthers, with Abshere scoring six goals and assisting on five, for 17 points. Walker tallied four goals and had three assists. Abshere ends her career as Middlebury's all-time leader in assists with 24.

The men's squad advanced to the NESCAC Championship where they lost in penalty kicks to Williams and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament. Toth, a first-team All-NESCAC selection ended his year with a 1.05 goals against average and six shutouts. He allowed no goals in 200 minutes during the NESCAC Championship.

Ftorek tallied 34 points on the season, tying the school record and led the team with 13 goals and eight assists. A first-team All-NESCAC selection, he led the league in points. Lee was selected to the third-team because of his key contributions and leadership to Middlebury's defensive success this season as the team only allowed 0.98 goals per game.


Squash falters in tournament

After starting off the season with an 8-1 win against Conn. College at the Dartmouth Invitational, the women's squash team competed in the two-day Wesleyan Invitational. The Panthers weren't as successful this time around, as they dropped three games to NESCAC opponents before closing out the tournament with a win over Smith.

The Panthers opened with a hard-fought 5-4 defeat to Colby. Hannah Baker '07 and Sally Hatfield '09, the one and two players, easily defeated the lady Mules they faced. Also victorious were Elizabeth McMorris '09.5 and Elizabeth Parker '07.5. Following Colby, the team faced Bates, who defeated the Panthers by a score of 6-3. Hatfield, Parker and Brooke Beatt '10 were the only point winners for Middlebury.

Saturday morning, the Panthers hoped to put Friday's disappointing effort behind them, but they started off right where they left off. This time, the Panthers were defeated by Bowdoin, the third college from Maine represented at the tournament, by a score of 7-2. Both Baker and McMorris, playing at number five, won their matches. Hatfield, Avery Tilney '09 and Parker all took their opponent to five games before falling.

After the defeat, the Panthers regrouped and were determined to win their last match to avoid a long trip back to the Green Mountain state. All nine Panthers won their matches as the women annihilated Smith College 9-0. Baker did not give up a single point, as she breezed to victory. Hatfield, Caroline Woodworth '09, Tilney and McMorris all posted strong victories over their opponents while Katie Hawkins '07 allowed only one point in her three-game win. Kara Zarchin '06.5, Beatt and Parker rounded out the Panthers' scoring as the trio cruised to victories in which each girl gave up a total of two points each in her match.

Baker, Parker, Hatfield and McMorris each finished the weekend with 3-1 records, while Beatt went 2-2. The Panthers are now off until mid-January, when they will travel back to Conn. to compete in the Yale Invitational.


IM bball champ crowned

Ben Shapiro '09 and his appropriately named Can't Miss intramural basketball team took home the 2006 3-on-3 men's basketball championship on Tuesday afternoon. After advancing to the finals in which they won their previous two games by scores of 15-10 and 15-12, Can't Miss beat defending champion Balls Deep 15-10 for the right to the coveted gray tee-shirts.

Shapiro scored nine points, hitting three three-pointers (which counted as twos) including a pristine, parabolic game-winner.

"They played well," said Andrew Germansky '08 a three-time finalist, "they made everything. What can you do."

Matt Joseph '09 and David Ellis '09 each contributed two baskets towards the victory, which took a full amount of effort. There were a total of 13 fouls in the game, some of which could have been whistled as flagrant if a referee had been present. Still, Can't Miss led for most of the game as they held 7-4 and 13-10 advantages before the final bucket.