Men battle back to tie Conn. College

Author: Kevin Carpenter

The Panthers pulled out a tie in another dramatic finish against the Connecticut College Camels on Oct. 25 in a 1-1 draw. The tie brings Middlebury's record to 9-1-2 overall and secures home-field advantage in the upcoming NESCAC Championship.

The men's squad showed resilience in the midst of defeat. "We fought back in very tough conditions to avoid the loss," said Middlebury forward Stephen Hart '10. "Many teams will give up if they are down a goal with a minute left, but for the second straight game we showed that we play hard until the final whistle blows, and again it paid off."

The Conn. College match had echoes of Middlebury's Oct. 22 game against Norwich University, in which the Panthers fought back from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 from a goal by Brooks Farrar '11 with 43 seconds left in double overtime. As in the game against Norwich, Middlebury gave up a goal in the first half and went down 1-0. The score came from the Camels' Oscar Brown off of a header from an outside cross.

"Our team is not used to being down a goal," said Hart. "I think that since losing the Bates game, we have shown that we can get ourselves back in the game."

After the goal, the Panthers returned to the field with renewed vigor in the second half and skillfully facilitated offensive movement through the midfield.

"Although we picked up the intensity in the second half, I think we came out a little flat in the first and deserved to go down a goal early in the game," said Hart. "We need to play just as hard in the first minute of the game as we do in the last minute of the game."

Just as they had done in the Norwich game, the Panthers stepped on the pedal in the second half against Conn. College, proving that the squad currently ranked fifth nationally was determined to avoid another loss in the conference.

Deliverance came from Middlebury's lethal scorer Tyler Macnee '12 with 1:02 left in regulation. A deflection from Carson Cornbrooks' '11 shot guided the ball toward tri-captain Baer Fisher '09, who assisted Macnee in his 11th goal of the season. Again, Middlebury saved itself from defeat with a last-minute effort. Although it did not result in a win, like it did against Norwich, the Panthers preserved the tie with a valiant overtime effort.

Macnee had a great chance in the first overtime with a shot from 12 yards out, but a diving save from Conn. College keeper Ted Lane thwarted his effort.

On the opposite side of the field, the Camels would have secured a victory had it not been for Jake Edwards '11 heading a shot off the goal line.

Although the Panthers' philosophy this season has been "one game at a time," they are clearly cognizant of the looming NESCAC Tournament. "There has been a lot of parody in our league this year with many upsets," commented Hart. "After clinching first place in the NESCAC, it is now our job to come out and show each team we face why we are number one. We accomplished our goal of getting the home field advantage, and now it is up to us to defend it."

Senior tri-captain Brian Bush '09 commented, "Throughout the season, our team has shown incredible character and attitude. I think we are prepared to peak at the right time as we head into our last few games and the NESCAC tournament."

The Panthers' final NESCAC match will be at Williams on Oct. 31.