Soccer blanks Bowdoin 3-0

Author: Kevin Carpenter

The Panthers once again proved dominant in a convincing 3-0 win against Bowdoin in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Tournament on Nov. 3, with an excited crowd of 425 fans gathered by the sidelines of the FieldTurf to watch the match unfold. The game marked the second meeting between Bowdoin and Middlebury this season - with Middlebury defeating Bowdoin at home 1-0 in the first match, Saturday's game demonstrated the offensive progress the Panthers have made over the course of the season. The Polar Bears were looking for redemption but only found defeat against a commanding Middlebury squad.

The game saw an onslaught of Panther attacks and very little offensive production from the Polar Bears, especially in the first half. Middlebury held a 9-1 shot advantage in that frame and capitalized on many opportunities. The first tally came in the 20th minute, when Tyler Macnee '12 made a dazzling run through defenders and rifled a shot off the post. Andrew Banadda '10 volleyed the rebound in for his third goal on the season.

"I think we played really well offensively," said tri-captain Baer Fisher '09. "Our passing was really crisp and we successfully attacked with numbers."

Offensive movement came from across the field with great runs by Carson Cornbrooks '11 and Jake Edwards '11, as well as effective ball handling from Robbie Redmond '12 and tri-captain Allen Bourdon '08.5.

"Allen Bourdon had a standout performance today. He won tons of 50-50 balls and distributed very well," commented Fisher.

The second goal for Middlebury came from Redmond, Bourdon's younger counterpart in the midfield. After the Bowdoin keeper punched up Edwards' cross, Redmond was on point with a header leading a bouncing ball into the back of the net.

"I think we possessed the ball very well and were consistently dangerous, particularly in the first half," said tri-captain keeper Brian Bush '09, whose efforts earned him NESCAC Player of the Week.

Nearing the end of the half, Middlebury struck again with its third goal of the match.After a missed opportunity of a one-on-one with the Bowdoin goalie, Brooks Farrar '11 found redemption with a goal with just six minutes left when he burried a rebound off a Michael Spiak's '10 shot.

The second half saw the same Panther dominance without the scoring frenzy of the first 45 minutes. Fisher, Farrar, and Stephen Hart '10 all had chances to add on goals but were either denied by the Polar Bear keeper or shot wide. Despite the 3-0 win, Fisher noted that the score could have been even higher.

"I think we could still improve our finishing," said Fisher. "We could have scored six or seven goals today, and we need to make sure we put away our chances against good teams like Amherst, Trinity and Williams."

The last few minutes saw a defensive spectacle from Middlebury defenders and keeper Jamie Wheeler '09.5. With two minutes left, a Bowdoin forward took a shot on a keeperless net only to be denied by Corey Moffat '09 as he cleared it off the line. With only 16 seconds left, Wheeler preserved the shutout with a save off of a Bowdoin volley.

Middlebury has secured home-field advantage for the rest of the NESCAC tournament, which proves an important factor for the squad.

"Playing at home is a huge advantage, as we are familiar with the turf," said Bush. "The fast and big pitch plays to our strengths."

Middlebury will host Williams in the semifinals on Saturday Nov. 8 at 11 a.m.