Men's lacrosse outlasts Bowdoin in high-scoring affair

Author: Jeb Burchenal

The Panthers continued to impress their fans this past Saturday as they paid the Bowdoin Polar Bears a visit in Maine and came away with a thrilling 14-13 victory.

Seventh-ranked Middlebury entered the game on a five game winning streak after losing its second game to Wesleyan, while 13th-ranked Bowdoin came in undefeated in NESCAC play.

The NESCAC rivals played a fairly one-sided first half after Middlebury jumped out on a 7-0 run after a 3-3 opening.

Tri-captain and face-off specialist Dave Campbell '09 sparked the run by winning eight of 11 face-offs, but All-American Tri-captain Mike Stone '09 was the engine and demonstrated why he is considered one of the best midfielders in Division-III lacrosse. Stone buried five goals in the first half alone to propel the Panthers to an 11-5 lead at the half.

The senior from Massachusetts has continued to prove his role as the key to Middlebury's success so far in the season. His ability to score in bunches is obvious, but when he is on top of his game his presence creates shots for other players. Possessing great passing skills along with a rocket shot, he forces defenses out of their comfort zone to create space and shots for himself and his teammates.

As the game wore on, the Polar Bears cooled the Panther offense in the third quarter and kept them off the board for nearly 15 minutes of play.

During that stretch, Bowdoin was able to crawl back to within three late in the third quarter. After Pete Smith '10 was able to notch his second goal of the day, Bowdoin roared back with a five-goal run continuing into the fourth quarter. After leading all game, Middlebury found itself down 13-12 with 9:09 to go.

Skyler Hopkins '09 brought the Panthers even at 7:27, setting the stage for the dramatic ending to an important conference matchup.

Pete Britt '09 came up with a crucial save after a lengthy Bowdoin possession and continued to demonstrate strong play as the game wound down.

With the game on the line and only 1:04 remaining, a driving Chris Teves '10 found an open Stone, who tickled the twine from 10 yards outside the cage. Bowdoin regained possession with a chance to tie, but again Britt was up to the task.

Smith continued to dominate at his role of facilitator, notching two more assists for the game and bringing his total on the season to 26.

The Panthers have five games remaining in the regular season with tough in-conference competition from Williams and Trinity continuing to the end of the season.

After a brief stumble in the second game against Wesleyan, a beneficial spring break trip and a strong everyday work ethic have brought the Panthers back to near the top of the conference.

Though paced by senior standouts like Britt and Stone, the team as a whole is getting the job done. If they are able to maintain this high caliber of play, it is safe to say the Panthers have a bright future as they close out the last weeks of the regular season.

The Panthers will play in a home affair this Saturday against NESCAC foe Tufts. The Jumbos are currently tied with the Panthers atop the division with impressive 5-1 records.