Tom Petty '09 broke Connecticut's heart

Author: Andrew Donnantuono

For the second consecutive week, Tom Petty '09 played a solid game for men's lacrosse. And for the second Sunday in a row, Petty helped Middlebury overcome capable visitors. In a match-up postponed because of Friday night's snowstorm, Petty scored a pivotal goal, and the Panthers withstood pressure from Connecticut College in the final seconds to win 10-9 at Kohn Field. The Panthers move to 2-0 on the season and will host Springfield College on Wednesday.
Connecticut (0-3) faced an uphill battle going into the game, but had at least one advantage coming into their NESCAC opener. First-year Middlebury Head Coach Dave Campbell '00 was at the helm of the Camels program for the previous three seasons. Their inside information might have helped as Kevin Nally quickly gave the guests a 1-0 edge 2:15 into the first quarter. The lead swelled to 4-1 after Matt Flanagan netted a riser surpriser with 12:04 remaining in the second. Down three, Middlebury never lost its composure, with nearly three quarters of the game to play. Attackman Jim Cabrera '08, who finished the game with three goals and an assist, took over and got the Panthers back on track.
Even though Connecticut looked good in the early going, Cabrera, an All-American, gave the fans a reason to cheer as he and his teammates scored five unanswered goals to close out of the half. Middlebury was poised to open the third quarter with a flourish and put the upstart Camels away.
Wind, cold weather and flurries throughout the game hardly affected the intensity on the field. Petty tallied another when he scored a sweet shot at 13:55 in the third quarter, diving from behind the net to beat Connecticut goalie Mark Moran and increase the lead to 7-4.
Having swapped a three-goal lead for a three-goal deficit, Connecticut set back to work. The diminutive Flanagan, listed at five-foot-five-inches, gave Middlebury fits all afternoon. Flanagan made a few nice feeds inside to Steve Dachille, and the Camels tied it up at 7-7 with 4:10 remaining in the third.
The fourth started at 8-8, and Connecticut hit a post with the chance of regaining the lead. Then Middlebury stepped it up. Seven days after scoring the game-winner against Stevens Institute of Technology, Petty decided not to dish it off on a fast break. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Petty put a sidearm crank shot into the upper corner, giving Middlebury a 9-8 lead.
Captain Peter Mellen '07 added to the margin, ripping an opportunistic crank shot from a few feet inside the restraining line. The last few minutes proved thrilling as Dachille pulled one back for Connecticut with 2:25 to go in regulation. Middlebury could only play keep away for so long, as Moran laid out for Connecticut and forced a turnover with about 35 seconds left. In the end, Craig Audin got off a pretty good shot for the Camels, but captain Alex Palmisano '07 knocked it aside at the buzzer.
Of Palmisano's save, Petty said, "the best part of yesterday's game was seeing Alex Palmisano save the last shot with less than ten seconds left on the clock."
Thanks largely to Mellen, Middlebury dominated face-offs, winning 21 of a possible 23 restarts. Both goalies had their work cut out for them, particularly Moran, who was barraged by 42 Middlebury shots and forced to make 17 saves. Palmisano rejected 11 Camels shots, the last of which secured the victory for Middlebury.