Men’s Soccer: Huge Win Against Williams

The Panther men’s soccer team has not lost a game since a narrow 1-0 loss at home against Bowdoin on Saturday, Sept. 22. The team’s record is now 10-2-3. 

Over Fall Break, the Panthers won a dramatic 3-2 match on the road against Trinity. The following day it was time for yet another NESCAC matchup with Wesleyan. Although only 3-8 on the season coming into the matchup, Wesleyan played strong from the start and made it hard for the Panthers to find the back of the net. Middlebury clearly dominated the matchup, and eight minutes into overtime David Oudet ’20 finally found the back of the net to give the Panthers the win.

On Oct. 17, Middlebury headed to Castleton for an out-of-conference matchup. The match was tightly contested, and the deciding goal came early in the 24th minute as Ben Potter ’20 scored on a penalty. The Panthers battled on the defensive end during the remaining 66 minutes and helped Matthew Hyer ’21 earn his fifth shutout of the season.

This past Saturday, the Panthers hosted Bates in their final home match of the regular season. The match started out even, as both teams controlled possession and missed some incredible chances. In the first half Ben Potter ’20 was taken down in the box in what looked like a clear penalty, but the referee kept his whistle in his pocket. 

The Panthers finally got a break in the 78th minute as Michael McFarlane ’22 was taken down in the box and drew a penalty. For the second straight week, Potter stepped up to the penalty marker and found the back of the net. 

“All of our guys played big roles in keeping the clean sheet and ultimately creating the goal,” Potter reflected after the match. “McFarlane did a great job taking on his man and drawing the penalty, and I was fortunate to be able to put it away. It was great to see all of our alumni on the sideline. We’re all a part of this program together so it felt good to be able to share that celebration.”

After the successful 9-0 run, the boys had set themselves up for an important showdown against Williams this past Tuesday, Oct. 23. The match against Williams started with the Ephs getting the first chance off of a corner in just the seventh minute. However, five minutes later the Panthers got on the scoreboard themselves. Ben Potter ’20 scored in his third straight match off a volley assisted by Kyle Moffatt ’19. The match was even, with the Panthers taking nine shots compared to Williams’ seven. Middlebury earned four corners opposed to Williams’ three. The difference was the Panthers ability to score their shots on goal. The Panthers only had two shots on goal but they both managed to find the back of the net. In the 92nd minute the Panthers converted their second shot on goal as Shams Mohajerani ’20 found Henry Wilhelm ’20 wide open in front of the net to push the score to 2-0.

Matt Hyer ’21 has now gone 443 minutes without allowing a goal. After the win he commented on the team’s gutsy performance.

“Today was a huge win,” Hyer said. “The mentality going into kickoff was that of a playoff game and it showed in our play. We only allowed one shot on goal which is a result of the entire team defending with their lives, we won balls in the air and managed to put two up on a very good team. The back four make my job very easy, I wouldn’t trade [my teammates] for anybody else in the country. We will likely face Williams again on Saturday, so we need to find a way to stay sharp and bring the fight again.”

This coming Saturday, Oct. 27, the men’s team will host a quarter final matchup, playing sixth-seed Williams at 12 p.m. at home.