Lax sacks NESCACs

Author: Andrew Donnantuono

On Sunday, for the seventh consecutive season, the men's lacrosse team won the NESCAC championship. For a team which has had its share of critics throughout this year's campaign, Middlebury seemed to have little trouble finding that extra gear when NESCACs rolled around. On Sunday, Middlebury (10-6) dismantled Wesleyan (16-2) 11-6 in Medford, Mass., outscoring the Cardinals six to two in the second half to retain the title.

On April 28, the Panthers lost at Tufts 7-6, completing the regular season at 0-4 in overtime contests and handing the Jumbos the first seed in the tournament. Still, Head Coach Dave Campbell '00 had confidence. "The team had their heads held high and had given their best effort," said Campbell after the game. "That's when I knew we had turned the corner and were ready to go for the NESCAC tourney."

He was right. The next day, Middlebury, sitting on a 7-6 record, routed Trinity 16-4 in the quarters in what Chris Teves '10 called "our best performance of the year."

"We are a completely different team mentally than we were in the middle of the season," wrote Campbell in an e-mail.

This past weekend, Middlebury returned to the outskirts of Boston with momentum on its side. The Panthers had another chance on Bello Field in the semis against Tufts and a possible encounter with Wesleyan or Williams in the finals. Middlebury first beat up Tufts 8-7, a win more convincing than the score indicates, and followed up that performance by trouncing Wesleyan. In each of its three NESCAC tournament games, Middlebury avenged an overtime loss.

In the championship game, Nick Bastis '07 fooled Wesleyan goalie Charlie Congleton to put up the first goal 1:54 into the first quarter. Cardinal Mike Hines responded with an unassisted goal of his own to tie it up just 38 seconds later. Even strength goals by Skyler Hopkins '09 and Matt Virtue '10 rounded out a Panther-dominated period. Middlebury attempted 16 shots with intentions to rattle Congleton early.

Wesleyan used the second quarter to return the favor, tying the game in a 13-second span. First, Grayson Connors ripped one past Middlebury netminder Alex Palmisano '07, and after Wesleyan won the ensuing face-off, Jeff Strittmatter wasted no time in placing another between the pipes. After another (man-up) goal by Connors with 2:01 remaining in the third, and Wesleyan had taken a 4-3 lead.

Even with a half to play, what happened in the final minute of the second quarter arguably determined the outcome of the game. Hopkins took the initiative and netted 31 seconds before intermission. Time was winding down, but Hopkins took advantage of a critical Wesleyan turnover and beat the buzzer with two seconds to spare, sending Middlebury into the break having turned a one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead in the blink of an eye.

Middlebury was energized and responded to the first half hat-trick by Hopkins with three consecutive goals spanning the third and fourth quarters. Pete Smith '10 assisted on two of the three. Wesleyan's zone enabled Middlebury to possess for long stretches in the third, protecting their multiple goal lead. The Panthers appeared to want the trophy more, as they won the ground ball battle in the second half by an overwhelming 23-13 margin.

Kwasi Ansu put an end to the five consecutive goal streak by Middlebury when he took a feed from Jon Killeen and buried it behind Palmisano with 5:54 to go. Nevertheless, again it was Hopkins who silenced the Wesleyan sideline when he scored 35 seconds later.

"We focused offensively on moving the ball and trying to keep their defense guessing so they couldn't just settle in and get comfortable," wrote Hopkins. "As a result, we were able to take good shots from close in. We finished well and did not let up."

The game got chippy before the final whistle with Wesleyan drawing five penalties in the last 5:05. Despite the physical play late, Middlebury extended the lead and could celebrate again as NESCAC champions.

"I'm proud of our team," wrote Hopkins. "We knew that our season was on the line and we came out fired up and ready to play. This game meant a lot for our seniors and Coach Campbell."

Peter Mellen '07 won 13 of the 21 face-offs he took in the championship game. Palmisano and Congleton both turned away 14 shots, but the Wesleyan goalie faced 52 balls; that is 21 more than Palmisano.

Middlebury has been awarded an NCAA tournament first round home game against Mt. Ida College on May 9. Interestingly, if Middlebury can dispatch Mt. Ida, it will be pitted against Wesleyan, once again, on May 12, who had been ranked second in the Division III North Region before the NESCAC tournament.