For Release: September 17, 2007

CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS SWEEP INVITATIONAL

The Middlebury cross country teams opened up their fall season by hosting the Panther Invitational. The women's team won a five-team race (77 racers), while the men won their eight-team (80 racers) event.

Junior Alexandra Krieg (Wellesley, Mass.) paced the Middlebury women, who completely dominated the race with 14 of the first 15 finishers. Krieg won the race with a time of 18:51, 20 seconds ahead of Lyndsay Calkins from Lyndon State.

First-year racer Amanda Lee (Lincoln, Neb.) was third for Middlebury in 19:32, followed by classmates Hannah Meier (Charlotte, Vt.) in fourth (19:38) and Jessica Spar (Short Hills, N.J.) in fifth (20:23). Rounding out the top seven were seniors Kate Hirschboeck (Cota de Caza, Calif.) in sixth (20:25) and Anna Chavis (Rockville, Md.) in seventh (20:31).

After a second place finish a year ago, Middlebury senior Jimmy Butcher (Garden City, N.Y.) captured the men's race with a time of 26:31, 18 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. The men also dominated on the afternoon, placing the top 11 finishers in the race.

Sophomore Bruce Hallett (S. Londonderry, Vt.) was the second place finisher (26:49), followed by sophomore Mike Waters (Bedford, Mass.) in third (27:28) and junior Jack Wambach (Evanston, Ill.) in fourth place (27:58). Finishing in the fifth place was junior Dan Kaufman (Milwaukee, Wis.) in 28:06, followed by rookie Stanis Moody-Roberts (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) in sixth (28:08) and Peter Hoffman in seventh (28:10).
• Cross country teams win Panther Invitational
• Up next: 9/22 @ Williams Invitational

MEN’S SOCCER WINS TWO MORE

The Panther men’s soccer team improved to 3-0 last week as they picked up two more shutout victories. The week began as Middlebury scored twice in a 49 second span late in the second half to pick up a 2-0 win over Castleton State.

Middlebury controlled play throughout, holding a 29-3 shots advantage in the contest. The Castleton defense hung tough, fighting off several offensive spurts from the Panthers in the second half.

Middlebury broke through at the 79:25 mark as a free kick from 30 yards out by senior Alex Elias (Manchester Center, Vt.) was headed in by junior Casey Ftorek (Wolfeboro, N.H.). The Panthers struck again just 49 seconds later as sophomore Andrew Banadda (Gaithersburg, Md.) fed the ball to senior Brandon Jackson (Syracuse, N.Y.), who carried it a few yards before ripping a shot into the top right corner of the net from 20 yards out.

Junior Brian Bush (Madison, Wis.) ended the game with a pair of saves for his second straight shutout, while Mike Anthony made six stops for the Spartans.

Middlebury posted its third consecutive win by shutout to start the 2007 season, scoring a 1-0 victory at Tufts in a NESCAC game played at Kraft Field on Saturday afternoon.

Ftorek scored the game’s only goal in the 59th minute. The Panthers took advantage of a misplayed header with rookie Carson Cornbrooks (Williston, Vt.) passing to Ftorek for a shot at the top of the box that found the back of the net.

Middlebury improves to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in NESCAC and have out-scored their opponents 5-0 so far this fall. Tufts remained winless at 0-2-1 overall and 0-1-1 in NESCAC.

Tufts finished with a 10-9 edge in shots, including 7-2 in the second half. Bush finished with six saves, while David McKeon had two stops in the Tufts goal.
• Men’s soccer record: 3-0
• Up next: 9/22 @ Wesleyan – 12:00

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL GOES 1-1 AT AMHERST INVITATIONAL

The Middlebury College women’s volleyball team opened up NESCAC play with a pair of matches at the Amherst quad. The Panthers lost to the host school 3-1, before defeating Hamilton 3-0 later in the day.

Middlebury won the first set against the Jeffs, but then dropped the next three, two of them tightly contested. Junior Josie Keller (York, Pa.) and senior Lexie Fisher (San Francisco, Calif.) led the offense with nine kills apiece. Junior Reisa Bloch (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) and sophomore Natalie DuPre (Louisville, Ky.) had 20 digs each on defense, while Keller earned 16.

In a tight three-set sweep over Hamilton, Fisher put away 14 kills in the victory, while senior Lindsay Patterson (Aspen, Colo.) had 10. First-year player Lauren Barrett (Medfield, Mass.) had 44 assists in the match, DuPre had 23 digs, while Patterson earned 16.
• Women’s volleyball record: 4-2
• Up next: 9/18 vs. St. Michael’s – 7:00, 9/21-22 @ Amherst Classic

MEN’S GOLF HOSTS DUKE NELSON TOURNEY

The Panther men’s golf team hosted the 24^th annual Duke Nelson Golf Tournament over the weekend at the par-71 Ralph Myhre Golf Course on campus. Skidmore combined for a two-day total of 599 to capture the tournament, followed by Williams (605), St. Lawrence (617), Hamilton (621) and Clarkson (623). Middlebury finished the tournament in a seventh place tie (625).

Leading Middlebury on the weekend was senior George Baumann (Mequon, Wis.) with a 151, placing him in a 12th place tie. Next for the Panthers was rookie Brian Cady (Rye, N.Y.) with a 157, junior Michael McCormick (Oak Park, Ill.) with a 158, sophomore Eric Elderbrock (Madison, Wis.), who came in with a 162, and junior Harrison Bane (Marblehead, Mass.), who shot a 164. Senior Jeff Patterson (Old Saybrook, Conn.) of the Middlebury “blue” team shot a 157.
• Men’s golf seventh at Duke Nelson
• Up next: 9/22-23 @ Williams Invitational

FIELD HOCKEY HAS 1-1 WEEK

The Middlebury College field hockey team went 1-1 last week as they won at Springfield before falling at Tufts over the weekend.

Middlebury moved to 2-0 on the season as they picked up an impressive 4-1 road win at Springfield. Middlebury is ranked fifth in the latest national poll, while Springfield entered the game in the 15th slot.

Springfield wasted little time in getting on the board, as Brittany Veazie scored just 56 seconds into the contest. Middlebury tied it at the 10:54 mark as senior Lacey Farrell (Greenwich, Conn.) found the back of the net. The second half belonged to the Panthers as senior Reid Berrien (Westport, Conn.) broke the deadlock with a tally with 16:19 left. Berrien scored again less than five minutes later (with 11:41 left) to up the margin to 3-1. The last goal came with just 1:45 left as sophomore Sarah Bryan (Houston, Texas) pumped one home.

Junior keeper Caitlin Pentifallo (River Edge, N.J.) survived the early goal to record seven saves overall for Middlebury. Springfield keeper Emma Kaplan was credited with 17 saves. Middlebury outshot the Pride, 21-8 on the night.

Tufts earned its first win over Middlebury in 22 years as the Jumbos picked up a 3-1 win over the Panthers. Ileana Casellas-Katz scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals for Tufts.

The visiting Panthers came out strong and quick, scoring the first goal within the first three minutes of the game. On a penalty corner, sophomore Madeline Macmillan (Milton, Mass.) fed Berrien the ball for a shot to the opposite corner of the goal. The tally was Berrien’s sixth in just three games, while it was also her 100^th career point.

However, Tufts quickly took advantage of their numerous penalty corners as Casellas-Katz popped in a rebound a little more than three minutes later. The half ended in a 1-1 tie.

Casellas-Katz scored seven minutes into the second half as she put home a rebound after a shot was saved by Pentifallo with 28:14 on the clock. Eight minutes later, Scholtes sent a rocket towards the cage on a free hit and Brittany Holiday tipped it into the opposite corner of the cage for a 3-1 Tufts advantage.

Pentifallo was solid in goal, making 14 saves on the afternoon, while Katie Hyder made five saves for the Jumbos.
• Field hockey record: 2-1
• Up next: 9/18 vs. Skidmore – 4:45, 9/22 @ Wesleyan – 12:00

MEN’S TENNIS OPENS FALL SEASON

The Panther men’s tennis team opened the season with a trip to the Cornell Invitational. Several Division I teams were competing at the event, with Middlebury and Amherst from Division III. Sophomore Andrew Thomson (W. Bloomfield, Mich.) did well in singles, advancing to the finals of the “B” singles bracket with three wins, before falling 6-1, 6-4 in the finals.

First-year player Andrew Peters (Baltimore, Md.) and sophomore Peter Odell (Scarsdale, N.Y.) both advanced to the semifinals in flight “C”. Peters earned a pair of wins before going down 6-2, 6-4, while Odell did the same before dropping a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 contest.

In doubles play sophomores Chris Mason (Owings Mills, Md.) and Andrew Lee (Eden Praire, Minn.) won three matches in flight “B”, before dropping the final match 8-5.
• Men’s tennis opens season
• Up next: 9/21-23 – Host Middlebury Invitational

WOMEN’S GOLF HOSTS TOURNEY

The Middlebury College women’s golf hosted an invitational at the Neshobe Country Club in Brandon, Vt. Williams shot a two-day total of 684 to capture the event, followed by St. Lawrence with a 715 and Middlebury with a 730.

Middlebury's Jessica Bluestein (Tucson, Ariz.) led the Panthers and was third overall with a 171. Next for the Panthers was first-year player Courtney Mazzei (Larkin Valley, Calif.) with a 175, followed by Senior Karen Levin (Morton Grove, Ill.) with a 178. Rookie Elizabeth Hirsch (New City, N.Y.) (206), senior Alison Graddock (Stowe, Vt.) (247) and first-year player Ashley Sandy (Middlebury, Vt.) (283) rounded out the Panther team.
• Women’s golf hosts match
• Up next: 9/22-23 @ Mt. Holyoke

WOMEN’S SOCCER PLAYS TWICE

The Panther women’s soccer team had a pair of road games last week, tying Skidmore before falling to Tufts in double overtime.

The week opened a scoreless tie on the road as they battled Skidmore for 110 minutes. The Thoroughbreds held a 13-7 shots advantage in the game, while junior Adele Plunkett (Austin, Texas) made eight saves for the shutout.

Both teams had chances in the second half. In the 55th minute, Skidmore’s Jenni Hibbard took a pass from Rachel Sushnen that looked as if it was going in, but at the last second it tailed up and hit the crossbar.

The Panthers had an opportunity in the 65th minute when senior Caitlin Parker (Seattle, Wash.) got by three Thoroughbred defenders and fired a rocket toward the top of the net, but Skidmore goalie Liza Mills made a beautiful leaping two-handed save to keep the scored even.

The action continued in overtime. In the second OT, sophomore Nora Tomlinson-Weintraub (Burlingame, Calif.) broke free in front of Thoroughbred defenders but her shot went far wide left.

Skidmore would have its last opportunity with 40 seconds left in the second overtime period. After a corner kick was awarded, Jess Morten lifted the ball deep into the goalie box, but Middlebury was able to clear the ball out and time expired. Mills finished up with four saves for the Thoroughbreds.

Tufts’ Cara Cadigan scored in the 107th minute to give Tufts a dramatic 2-1 victory over Middlebury in NESCAC play on Kraft Field Saturday afternoon. Cadigan took a pass in front from Ali Maxwell, touched it left past the Panther goalie and booted the ball into an open net for the winner with 2:28 remaining in the second overtime.

The Panthers struck first when first-year player Katie Ruymann (Medford, N.J.) snuck a shot from 30 yards out under the crossbar with five minutes to play in the first half. Middlebury remained on top until six minutes remained. Tufts tied it when a free kick by Jessie Wagner was headed by Cadigan and tipped in near the goal line by Sarah Nolet. The goal tied the match at 1-1 in the 84th minute.

Jumbo goalie Kate Minnehan earned the victory in goal with seven saves, while Plunkett made eight saves for the Panthers.
• Women’s soccer record: 1-1-1
• Up next: 9/18 @ Keene – 6:00, 9/22 @ Wesleyan – 2:30

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