For Release: October 16, 2006

FIELD HOCKEY BEATS TWO TOP FIVE TEAMS

The Middlebury College field hockey team had a huge week as they picked up wins over #4 Williams and #5 Ursinus. The Panthers were ranked eighth in the latest (10/9) Division III national poll.

Middlebury picked up a key NESCAC win as the eighth-ranked Panthers earned a 2-0 win at fourth-ranked Williams. The shutout is the fifth of the season for the Panthers.

Middlebury scored its first goal off a penalty corner early in the first half. Junior Reid Berrien (Westport, Conn.) fielded a pass from junior Lacey Farrell (Greenwich, Conn.) and fired a shot that deflected off Eph goalkeeper Emily Wasserman and into the net with 27:17 remaining in the half. The Panthers carried that 1-0 lead all the way to the break.

In the second half, the Panthers took advantage of another penalty corner to extend their lead. Farrell beat her defender and slapped the ball past Wasserman into the lower left corner of the net with just over twenty-five minutes left to play.

That would be all Middlebury would need as they made the lead stand up, picking up a 2-0 win. Senior goalie Meghan McGillen (Harwich, Mass.) made 11 saves in goal.

Senior Michelle Archambault (Weston, Mass.) scored the game-winning goal on a penalty stroke in overtime to lead No. 9 Middlebury past fifth-ranked Ursinus in non-conference field hockey action on Sunday.

Berrien scored a goal and added an assist, while McGillen made seven saves to help the Panthers (10-1) defeat the Bears (12-3) for the second straight year by one goal. Jennie Moore and Lindsay Cappa each scored for Ursinus.

Middlebury scored two goals in a matter of two minutes, 22 seconds in the second half and tallied the golden goal with 8:47 left in overtime to record its fourth straight victory.

The Bears held a 1-0 lead at intermission, thanks to an unassisted goal by Moore off a penalty corner at the 24:34 mark.

After the break, Berrien assisted senior Dana Rye (Virginia Beach, Va.) at 46:19 before scoring a penalty-corner goal on a pass from Farrell at the 48:41 mark to help the Panthers take their first lead at 2-1.

Scoring on their second penalty corner, the Bears evened the score with 13:54 left to play when Allison Doutt found Cappa at 2-all and forcing overtime.

Middlebury managed three shots in overtime, scoring on the third for the game-winning goal on an awarded penalty stroke taken by Archambault in the 77^th minute.

• Field hockey record: 10-1
• Up next: 10/21 vs. Bates – 11:00

The Panther women’s golf team ended its fall season with a win at the Wellesley Fall Invitational. Middlebury shot a two-day total of 651, including a 320 on day two of the eight-team tournament. Senior Allison Ortega (Clinton, N.Y.) captured tournament medalist honors, shooting an 82 and a 77 for a two-day total of 159.

Senior Heather Gallagher (Toronto, Ont.) tied for second with a 162, followed by senior Kerry Ortega (Clinton, N.Y.), who finished in fifth with a 163. Junior Karen Levin (Morton Grove, Ill.) and sophomore Julie Ellenberger (Concord, Mass.) each shot a 169, placing them in an eighth place tie.

• Women’s golf wins at Wellesley
• Up next: end of fall season

MEN’S SOCCER FALLS WINS A PAIR

The Middlebury College men’s soccer team scored three goals in a 7:08 span in the second half on its way to a 5-0 shutout over in-state foe Norwich. The game marked the return to Middlebury of Norwich head coach Kyle Dezotell, the ’03 graduate who left as the Panthers’ all-time leading scorer.

The only goal of the first half came as first-year player Colin Nangle (Westport, Conn.) drew out the keeper before sliding a ball to sophomore Casey Ftorek (Wolfeboro, N.H.), who hit an open net from 15 yards out. The game remained at 1-0 until senior John Sales (Downington, Pa.) converted a low crossing pass from senior Vandy Shanholt (Hillsborough, Calif.) 2:30 into the second half. The second goal of the run came as Nangle ripped home a shot from the right side after a feed from Ftorek. Junior Andrew Germansky (New York, N.Y.) capped the three-goal spurt as he scored with a hard shot after a quick touch from Sales. Sophomore Corey Moffat (Berkeley, Calif.) ended the scoring at 68:20 as he headed in a corner from sophomore Nathaan Demers (Dracut, Mass.).

Sophomore Brian Bush (Madison, Wis.) made just one save in his first career start to earn the first shutout of his career. Jeff Warner made seven saves in 75:30 of action, while Brian Riopelle made one stop in 14:30 for the Cadets.

Middlebury picked up a much-needed win as they earned a 3-2 overtime win at Williams. The Panthers, who had been struggling in NESCAC play, handed the Ephs (10-1) their first loss of the season.

In the 22nd minute, Kit Fuderich took a long shot from the top of the box that Middlebury senior Zack Toth (Carlisle, Mass.) saved but could not retain. A streaking Patrick Huffer closed in on the ball and easily put the rebound away to give Williams a 1-0 advantage.

Dana Leary of Williams scored off a loose ball in the middle of the box after Fuderich served a nice ball from the left flank. The goal gave the Ephs a 2-0 lead at the 61:29 mark, but it was all Middlebury from there.

Less than a minute after Leary's goal, Sales put away a loose ball right at the goal line to cut the lead in half. Shanholt scored his sixth goal of the season at 75:15 to tie the game at two.

Jeff Castiglione made a stellar one-on-one save in overtime to prolong the match when Ftorek had a golden breakaway opportunity. Castiglione was not as fortunate in the 107^th minute as Ftorek beat him for the game-winner and his 10^th goal in 11 games. Toth ended the day with four saves.

• Men’s soccer record: 8-3
• Up next: 10/21 vs. Bates – 1:30

WOMEN’S SOCCER EARNS A WIN AND A TIE

First-year player Margaret Owen (Bozeman, Mont.) scored her second goal of the season 36 seconds after the opening kick-off Tuesday evening, and that held up as the only score of the game as Middlebury edged Plymouth State 1-0.

Owen finished off a crossing pass from senior Caitrin Abshere (Madison, Wis.) on the only scoring play of the game. The visitors from Middlebury went on to outshoot the host Panthers, 12-2, but could find the back of the net just the one time.

Sophomore Adele Plunkett (Austin, Texas) needed to make only one save for Middlebury to earn her fourth shutout of the season.

Middlebury remained unbeaten against Williams since ’01 as the Panther women’s soccer team earned a 1-1 tie in Williamstown, Mass. Middlebury jumped out to an early lead as rookie Lindsay Walker's (Ridgewood, N.J.) shot from the top of the 18 was saved by Eph keeper Sarah Ginsburg, but senior Erin Oliver (Essex Junction, Vt.) headed in the rebound to put the Panthers on the board.

Williams generated a few good chances in the first half, but Plunkett was equal to the task. The Ephs tied the game early in the second half as Ana Sani slid a pass to Gabby Woodson for the goal.

The Panthers stepped up their play in the two overtime sessions, registering three shots in the extra time, while the Ephs failed to fire any. Perhaps their best opportunity came off the foot of Abshere, who sent a shot from in tight off the crossbar. Oliver also had a quality chance in the second overtime, but her shot sailed wide. Plunkett ended the game with eight saves.

• Women’s soccer record: 6-2-1
• Up next: 10/18 @ Castleton, 10/21 vs. Bates – 11:00

CROSS COUNTRY COMPETES AT OPEN N.E.’s

The Middlebury College cross country teams were in action at the Albany Invitational over the weekend, a meet featuring Division I, II and III teams. The women finished third in the 22-team race, second only to a school from Canada (Univ. of Gualph) and Division I UNH. The women are ranked fifth in the latest national poll. The men's team eighth, fourth among D3 teams, in the 27-team race.

Senior Erin Archard (Vienna, Maine) paced the women's team with an eighth place finish in 18:09. Just .6 seconds behind here in ninth place was senior Andrea Giddings (S. Portland, Maine), followed by sophomore Alexandra Krieg (Wellesley, Mass.) in 15th (18:25). Senior Claire Schultz (W. Barnstable, Mass.) finished the race in 22nd (18:35), while senior Makely Lyon (Portland, Ore.) finished in 24th (18:39) for Middlebury.

Junior Jimmy Butcher (Garden City, N.Y.) led the men's squad with a 20th place finish in 25:34. Placing 37th overall was senior Will McDonough (Lancaster, N.H.) in 25:55, followed by first-year runner Chris Free (Wallingford, Pa.) in 61st (26:23). Sophomore Jack Wambach (Evanston, Ill.) in 66th (26:27) and sophomore Peter Murphy (Wilton, Conn.) in 75th (26:34) rounded out Middlebury's scorers.
• Cross country teams compete at Albany Invit.
• Up next: 10/21 @ NESCAC Championship (Conn. College)

MEN’S TENNIS ENDS FALL SEASON

The Panther men’s tennis team ended its fall season at the Bates Invitational over the weekend. Prior to the weekend, seniors Alex Scott (Mt. Kisco, N.Y.) and George Mayer (Merion, Pa.) took part in the 2006 ITA National Small College Championships in Florida. Scott won his quarterfinal match before falling 6-4, 6-2 in the semi’s. Scott/Mayer dropped their first doubles match, before coming back to win the consolation bracket.

At Bates, first-year player Chris Mason (Owings Mills, Md.) captured the “B” singles flight, winning four matches in straight sets. Classmate Peter Odell (Scarsdale, N.Y.) won a pair of matches before falling in the semifinals. Fellow rookie Andrew Lee (Eden Prairie, Minn.) won two matches before being eliminated by the eventual champion in the “A” bracket.

In doubles play Odell/Mason looked good, winning four matches en route to an 8-4 win in the title match of the “B” bracket. In the “A” bracket, Lee and first-year player Eliot Jia (Mount Desert, Maine) won twice before falling in the semi’s to the eventual champions.

• Men’s tennis competes at ITA Nationals & Bates Invit.
• Up next: end of fall season

FOOTBALL TEAM FALLS AT WILLIAMS

The Middlebury College football team suffered its first loss of the season as Williams (4-0) handed the Panthers a 40-9 loss. The Ephs scored 17 points on three Middlebury turnovers, outscoring Middlebury 20-0 in the second half.

Senior Kevin Ryan (Shelton, Conn.) picked off a pass on Williams’ opening drive, leading to a 26-yard field goal from senior Steve Hauschka (Needham, Mass.). The Ephs drove 71 yards on their next possession to equal the game with a 26-yard field goal. Hauschka answered that with a 26-yarder on Middlebury’s next trip up the field. The score was set up by a 47-yard kickoff return from junior David Randolph (Madison, Conn.).

Williams scored the game’s first touchdown on the second play of their next drive as Sean Gleeson caught a 77-yard touchdown pass from Brendan Fulmer, to give the Ephs a 10-6 lead just 13 seconds into the second quarter.

Middlebury answered right back on its next possession, but could only muster up Hauschka’s third field goal of the game, this one from 27 yards outs. The Panther defense held before senior Tiger Lyon (El Paso, Texas) was intercepted, leading to a 44-yard field goal for the Ephs. Williams would add a late touchdown as Fulmer and Gleeson hooked up from 14 yards out to give the Ephs a 20-9 halftime lead.

The Middlebury offense could not get much going in the second half as Cory Catelli scored three touchdowns on three short rushes to make it a 40-9 final.

Lyon ended the day 12-26 for 74 yards with three picks, while senior Stefan Hrdina (W. Redding, Conn.) was held to just 22 yards on 10 rushes. Lyon earned 38 yards on the ground, while Randolph gained 36 yards on eight carries. Junior Derek Polsinello (Schenectady, N.Y.) and senior tight end Jamie Staples (Pacific Grove, Calif.) each caught four passes to lead the receivers. The team’s leading tackler, junior Erik Woodring (Cos Cob, Conn.), ended the game with nine, while junior Nathan Clancy (Elmhurst, Ill.) picked up eight, including one for lost yardage.

• Football record: 3-1
• Up next: 10/21 vs. Bates – 1:00

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PLAYS THREE CONFERENCE MATCHES

The Panther women’s volleyball team went 1-2 over the weekend at a NESCAC Quad hosted by Williams. The weekend began with a 3-2 loss to Connecticut College. Junior Lexie Fisher (San Francisco, Calif.) had 14 kills in the match, while sophomore Kate Heath (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and first-year player Kate Lupo (Weston, Conn.) had 11 kills apiece. Sophomore Olivia Minkhorst (Atlanta, Ga.) had 44 digs to pace the defense, while Fisher had four blocks.

Middlebury dropped its first match the next day, as they fell to Trinity 3-0. Fisher had 13 kills in the match, while Minkhorst had 23 digs.

The Panthers ended the weekend with a 3-2 win over Wesleyan. Lupo had 13 kills in the win, while Fisher had a dozen. Minkhorst earned 19 digs, senior Lacee Patterson (Aspen, Colo.) had 17 along with 38 assists.

• Women’s volleyball record: 10-9
• Up next: 10/18 vs. Plymouth – 7:00, 10/21-22 @ Hall of Fame Classic (Smith)

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE SPORTS ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB: www.gomidd.com