For Release: November 13, 2006
CROSS COUNTRY WINS NCAA REGIONAL
The Middlebury women's cross country team is peaking at the right time as they won the 2006 NCAA New England Regional at Springfield. The Panthers finished in first place among 48 teams, followed by Amherst, Williams and Tufts. Middlebury has qualified for, and will take part, in the 2006 NCAA Championship next Saturday at Wilmington College in Chester, Ohio.
All five Panthers crossed the finish line in the top 25 for Middlebury, led by senior Andrea Giddings (S. Portland, Maine) in sixth place individually out of 321 runners with a time of 22:01.2. Senior Erin Archard (Vienna, Maine) finished the race in ninth place (22:17), while sophomore Alexandra Krieg (Wellesley, Mass.) came in 12th (22:26). Also scoring for the Panthers were senior Makely Lyon (Portland, Ore.) (22:50) in 22nd and senior Claire Schultz (W. Barnstable, Mass.) in 24th (22:52).
The Middlebury men were also very solid, finishing the 45-team regional in eighth place overall. Williams won the event, followed by Bowdoin and Trinity.
Junior Jimmy Butcher (Garden City, N.Y.) had another big race, finishing fifth out of 300 runners with a time of 25:52. With his performance, Butcher has qualified for the NCAA’s next weekend.
Next for the Panthers was sophomore Peter Murphy (Wilton, Conn.) in 31st place in 26:32, followed by rookie Bruce Hallett (S. Londonderry, Vt.) in 51st (27:00). Middlebury sophomore Jack Wambach (Evanston, Ill.) came in 62nd overall (27:11), while senior Will McDonough (Lancaster, N.H.) placed 65th (27:15).
• Cross country teams race at NCAA Regionals
• Up next: 11/18 @ NCAA Championship (Wilmington College in Chester, Ohio)
WOMEN’S SOCCER WINS NCAA REGIONAL
For the second time in three years, the Panther women's soccer team has advanced to the NCAA sectionals. The Panthers earned the right after picking up a 3-2 win at W. Connecticut in an NCAA Regional Final on Sunday. The 15th win in '06 tied the school record. Middlebury will take on The College of N.J. next Saturday, while Amherst meets Endicott in the other sectional match-up. The games will take place at The College of New Jersey in Trenton, N.J.
Senior Caitrin Abshere (Madison, Wis.) scored two second-half goals to lift Middlebury to the win. Her first tally gave the Panthers, 15-2-1, a 2-1 lead at the 70th minute. She was able to jar the ball loose from the W. Conn. defense on the left side of the crease and boot the ball over Colonials keeper Jenna Cappellieri.
The lead did not last long as W. Conn.'s Catherine Nathans knotted the score at 2-2 with her 22nd goal of the season at the 74:18 mark. She received a long pass from Nicole Sieber down the middle of the pitch.
Abshere and Middlebury retaliated just 22 seconds later after gathering another ball that deflected off the W. Conn. defense. It was her sixth goal of the season.
The Panthers got on the scoreboard in the first half when senior Kim Walker (Ridgewood, N.J.) netted her fifth goal of the season off a direct kick from senior Erin Oliver (Essex Junction, Vt.) in the 18th minute of play.
W. Conn. evened the score, off a set piece, when Caitlin Boyle lofted a pass into the center of the goalmouth and Jessica Sperlazza headed it by Middlebury sophomore keeper Adele Plunkett (Austin, Texas) with 1:12 remaining before intermission. Plunkett finished with 10 saves while Cappellieri turned away five shots for the Colonials.
Middlebury defeated Scranton 4-3 in overtime to advance to the NCAA Regional final. Just 8:30 into the first half the Panthers got on the board first, 1-0, as Abshere scored on an assist from fellow midfielder Laura Kwoh (Pittsburgh, Pa.). After even play for the next 35 minutes the Royals evened the score at 1-1. Scranton defender Beth Stephens sent a shot that was saved by Plunkett, the ball was deflected out to the foot of Mary Beth Vogel and Vogel put the ball away to tie the game with just 2:04 remaining in the half. Neither side would score in the final two minutes and the teams went into the break knotted at one goal apiece.
Less than three minutes into the second half the Panthers had a great scoring chance but Plunkett came up with a huge save to, temporarily, keep the score at 1-1. With 40:57 to play, however, the Royals took the lead, 2-1, as Jessica Beha scored on a deflection after Kaitlin Baker had a shot that was stopped by Plunkett.
With 17:03 to play the Panthers erased the deficit as first-year player Nora Tomlinson Weintraub (Burlingame, Calif.) fired a rocket from 18 yards out that was deflected off Scranton goalkeeper Desiree Dabaldo’s hands and into the goal to make it a 2-2 game on an assist by Abshere. The assist was the 24th of her career for Middlebury, a new Panther record.
With 11:17 to go in the game, the Royals generated a counter attack that resulted in Beha sending a shot towards the net that was deflected off a Middlebury defender and over the head of Plunkett to give Scranton a 3-2 lead.
Just 27 seconds later the Panthers got the goal back as Walker sent a shot from 20 yards out that beat Dabaldo to tie the score once again, this time at 3-3, as the goal was assisted by Tomlinson Weintraub with less than 10:50 left in regulation. Despite fervent effort in the last 10 minutes, neither side could score, and it was a 3-3 game at the end of regulation.
With 2:09 to play in the first overtime period Tomlinson Weintraub ended the game on a direct kick from 23 yards out to give the Panthers a 4-3 victory and send the Panthers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Dabaldo stopped 16 shots for the Royals in the hard-fought loss while Plunkett came up with eight saves in victory.
• Women’s soccer record: 15-2-1
• Up next: 11/18 vs. TCNJ – 11:00; if win – 11/19 vs. Amherst/Endicott – 1:00
FOOTBALL FINISHES 6-2 WITH SHUTOUT OVER TUFTS
The Middlebury College football team earned its second straight shutout with a 10-0 victory over Tufts in the season finale for both teams. The Panthers end their season with an impressive 6-2 mark, finishing alone in third place in the NESCAC standings. The Jumbos end their year at .500, with a 4-4 record overall.
The game would not feature a lot of scoring, with a field position battle going on for much of the first quarter. The teams exchanged punts for the first five possessions before a Middlebury drive stalled on downs at the Tufts’ 14. A 70-yard punt by Bryan McDavitt of Tufts put Middlebury on its own 18 to start their next drive. Following a 10-yard rush by senior Stefan Hrdina (W. Redding, Conn.), senior Tiger Lyon (El Paso, Texas) found sophomore Evan Beilin (S. Hamilton, Mass.) 10 yards down the field, before the tight end broke a pair of tackles en route to a 77-yard touchdown reception.
Middlebury fumbled on its next possession, but Tufts was unable to take advantage as a Matt Russo pass was intercepted by junior Chad Guerrero (Essex, Vt.) on the Jumbo’s next drive. The Panthers would take a 7-0 lead into the halftime break.
Middlebury gained a little breathing room at 9:23 of the fourth quarter as senior Steve Hauschka (Needham, Mass.) broke the school’s single-season record with his 10th field goal of the year, this one from 32 yards out. The field goal was the 20th of his career, also a Middlebury best. The score came after a short punt left the Panthers with the ball on the Tufts 23 to start the drive.
The teams exchanged some turnovers in the fourth quarter, but neither would threaten to score. Middlebury junior Brian Young (W. Bloomfield, Mich.) picked off a pass before Chris Decembrele of Tufts recovered a fumble on the ensuing drive. The game ended as Middlebury’s all-time leader in interceptions Senior Scott Secor (Lake Odessa, Mich.), picked off the 11th pass of his career to end the game. He finishes his career third on the all-time tackles list with 223.
The Middlebury defense earns its third shutout of the season, holding Tufts to just 119 yards of offense on the afternoon. The Panthers finish with a 6-2 mark, their best record since the ’00 team went 7-1.
Lyon finished the day 12 of 20 for 182 yards with a touchdown, while rushing the ball 10 times for a team-high 34 yards. Beilin caught three passes for 96 yards with a touchdown, while senior Jamie Staples (Pacific Grove, Calif.) made three receptions for 53 yards. He ends his career tied for fourth on Middlebury’s all-time list with 94 career receptions.
Junior Erik Woodring (Cos Cob, Conn.) had another big day on defense, ending the game with 17 tackles, giving him 88 on the season. Junior Alex Buggy (Stamford, Conn.) had seven tackles on the afternoon, while senior Kevin Ryan (Shelton, Conn.) ended the day with four tackles and two sacks, tying the school’s all-time record with 21 career sacks. Ryan also owns the Middlebury and NESCAC single-season record with 15.5 sacks in ’06.
Russo went 8 of 20 for 50 yards with three picks for Tufts, hitting Steve Menty twice for 18 yards. Will Forde led the rushing game with 16 carries for 58 yards. Decembrele had a team-high 10 tackles on the day, 2.5 for lost yardage, with a fumble recovery. Alex Perry added eight stops in the loss.
• Football final record: 6-2
MEN’S SOCCER ENDS SEASON AT NCAA’S
The Panther men's soccer team saw its season come to an end with a 2-1 loss to St. Lawrence in an NCAA Regional hosted by N.Y.U. The Panthers end their season at 11-6-1.
James Merrill converted a breakaway with 10:50 remaining, snapping a 1-1 tie and lifting St. Lawrence to the win at Lubetkin Field on the campus of New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, N.J. Merrill collected the ball about 30 yards from the goal and dribbled toward the net. He sidestepped Middlebury senior goalkeeper Senior Zack Toth (Carlisle, Mass.) (eight saves) and grounded the ball across the goal line from 15 yards out to give the Saints the go-ahead goal.
In an intense and often physical battle featuring three yellow cards, Middlebury took a 1-0 lead when sophomore Max McKinnon (Norwich, Vt.) drilled a shot that deflected off St. Lawrence goalkeeper Emilio Coletta (six saves) at 32:37.
St. Lawrence got the equalizer at 35:19. Charlie Bogosian hit the back of the net off a cross from Brendan Tougher, helping the Saints forge a 1-1 tie. St. Lawrence owned a 14-11 edge on shots, while Middlebury held a 4-2 advantage on corner kicks.
• Men’s soccer final record: 11-5-1
FIELD HOCKEY ENDS SEASON AT REGIONALS
The Middlebury College field hockey team saw its season come to an end as they fell 2-1 to William Smith in an NCAA Regional contest at Bowdoin. Middlebury finishes the year at 14-4.
Middlebury had several strong chances to score in the opening minutes, but a defensive save by William Smith's Charlotte Styer kept the Panthers off the scoreboard. Middlebury had six consecutive penalty corner chances in the opening seven minutes, but could not find the back of the cage as the game remained scoreless. William Smith answered in transition, as Liz Saucier collected a Panther turnover just outside the circle and cut loose a shot from 10 yards that sailed wide.
The Herons broke into the scoring column with 21:20 remaining in the half, as Saucier ripped a shot from the top of the circle that was saved by senior goalie Megan McGillen (Harwich, Mass.). William Smith's leading scorer Sophie Dennis pounced on the rebound, however, tucking the ball inside the left post for a 1-0 lead. The Panthers, despite 15 corners and a 10-4 advantage in shots, trailed by one goal at intermission.
Middlebury kept up the pressure early in the second stanza, but still couldn't break into the scoring column despite taking the first five shots of the period. It proved costly, as moments later William Smith's Saucier took a shot from the top of the circle that was deflected by McGillen. The ball trickled behind the Middlebury goaltender to the stick of Kaitlyn Hamilton, who tapped it over the line for a 2-0 edge with 24:20 to go. The Herons made a bid to increase their lead to three goals mid-way through the period, but a backhanded shot by Hamilton hit the post with 18 minutes left.
Middlebury junior Reid Berrien (Westport, Conn.) got her team back into the game with a spectacular goal a few minutes later. The Panthers' leading scorer took a loose ball at midfield, tapped the ball past a William Smith defender, breaking in all alone on goaltender Katie DeKracker. Berrien drew DeKraker out of position and buried it into the cage to make it 2-1 with 15:56 to go.
The best chance for the Panthers late in the game came courtesy of Berrien, who drove a hard shot from the right side of the circle that was kicked aside by DeKraker. Middlebury earned a corner with under three minutes to play, but the Herons' sophomore netminder kicked the ball outside the circle, preserving the victory.
DeKraker stopped 17 shots in all for William Smith, while Middlebury's McGillen earned nine stops. Middlebury held a 20-13 edge in shots and a 19-6 advantage in penalty corners.
• Field hockey final record: 14-4
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