New turf, same result for men

Author: James Kerrigan

Just as it did last fall, the Middlebury men's soccer team earned a shutout victory over Connecticut College in its season opener, but the similarities end there.

Playing on brand new field turf measuring 120 yards long and 80 yards wide, it was the return of two seniors to the starting lineup, not the introduction of the new surface that gave Middlebury students a reason to put the task of moving into dorm rooms on hold. Brandon Jackson's '08 homecoming from a year abroad in Italy was everything Coach Saward and company could ask for while Dave LaRocca '08 proved just how much he was missed when he had to sit out much of 2006 with a knee injury.

The two hooked up for Middlebury's first goal of the season when Jackson collected a pass from Casey Ftorek '09 and sent a through ball behind the Camel's back line that met LaRocca's foot and Conn. College's keeper at the same time. Without showing any signs of injury or backing down, the senior striker won the battle and slid the ball into the back of the net with ease.

Senior co-captain Andrew Germansky '08 is enthusiastic about having the dangerous striker back in action.

"It's a huge boost to have LaRocca back in the lineup," Germansky said.

Throughout the rest of the first half, Middlebury continued what it had been working during the preseason, namely keeping the team shape on such a big field and getting comfortable with the new surface.

"The first game is always a work in progress," said Germansky "but we attacked Conn. College's three back system from the flanks really well."

Just over ten minutes into the second half, Middlebury drew a foul just outside the penalty box. As the referee indicated that it was a direct kick, Conn. College quickly tried to organize a wall. Camel keeper Ted Lane directed traffic and positioned his five players right where he wanted, but the wall was not effective enough. With a crowd of Panthers standing just behind the spot of the foul creating sufficient confusion for Conn. College, Jackson emerged as the taker, approached the ball with a subtle confidence, and lofted a shot up and over the wall which floated into the upper left hand corner to take a 2-0 lead.

Settling into a more defensive style, Middlebury packed it in and only sent the occasional man forward. Senior co-captains Alex Elias and Andrew Germansky controlled the tempo from the middle of the field. Elias was a workhorse in the central midfield, refusing to let anyone or anything behind him while Germansky commanded from the center back position and anchored an otherwise young, but not inexperienced group of defenders.

When the Camels did generate a scoring chance, they could not get a good enough to look to sneak anything by keeper Brian Bush '09 who recorded his second career shutout. After two years of learning from Zack Toth '07, Bush is eager to be the man in charge.

With the increased field size, staying fit will be a top priority for the Panthers all season. Perhaps the squad showed signs of fatigue in the latter minutes of the game as they surrendered several shots, each of which Bush effectively stopped.

"We're going to have to keep figuring out how to play together and increase our work level for the next games," said Germansky. "We got lucky they could not finish because we gave them more room than we should have."

Luck or not, Middlebury earned the win. With games against Amherst, Bowdoin, and Williams over the course of eight days in early October, Middlebury will undoubtedly be working hard as they prepare for these key showdowns.