For Release: November 19, 2007
MEN’S SOCCER HEADED TO FINAL FOUR
The Middlebury College men’s soccer team will make its first appearance in the NCAA final four after earning a 2-0 win over York in a sectional final contest in Vermont. The Panthers improve to 11-0 at home with just one goal allowed this season. The Spartans finish their season with an impressive 21-3-1 mark. Middlebury will play Loras (Iowa) in an NCAA semifinal contest on Friday, November 23rd at Disney’s Wide World of Sports - Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Trinity of Texas will meet Messiah in the other semifinal contest.
Middlebury struck early, just 3:14 into the contest, with a goal on a corner kick. Junior Baer Fisher (Kenilworth, Ill.) served the ball in from the right side where it was skipped by senior David LaRocca (Sparta, N.J.) to junior Allen Bourdon (Lyme, N.H.) on the far side, who finished with a diving header for his first goal of the season.
The teams exchanged some decent scoring opportunities over the next 30 minutes, with the Panthers holding on to the 1-0 lead.
The advantage doubled at the 31:18 mark as senior Brandon Jackson (Syracuse, N.Y.) won a ball down low on the left side. He quickly fed a centering pass to senior Casey Ftorek (Wolfeboro, N.H.), who finished for his 17th goal of the season (school record). The goal was his sixth in the last four games, as he improves on his Middlebury single-season record.
Jackson had a chance to add to the lead shortly after the Ftorek goal, but his shot and rebound were both saved by York keeper Kyle Marks. The Panthers took a 2-0 lead into the halftime break, holding a slight 8-7 edge in shots.
The second half saw few scoring chances early on, until Middlebury sophomore Stephen Hart (Park City, Utah) made three nice moves before having his open shot sail over the goal.
York turned up the pressure in the final 10 minutes of the game with several shots on goal, but Middlebury junior keeper Brian Bush (Madison, Wis.) stood his ground, making nine saves on the afternoon. The shutout was his 11th of the season, a new Middlebury single-season record. Marks ended the day with three saves for the Spartans.
Middlebury advanced to the NCAA Sectional Finals after a 3-0 shutout win over NESCAC foe Williams.
Middlebury controlled the game throughout, with Williams having just one quality scoring opportunity. The Panthers threatened in the 22nd minute as Jackson’s shot from 18 yards away on a restart deflected off the hands of Eph goalkeeper Andrew Graham, before he recovered for the save.
The Panthers took a 1-0 lead at 28:18 as Fisher played a great ball ahead to Ftorek. Graham came out to cut off the angle as Ftorek carried the ball in on the left side before pushing a shot into the far corner of the net.
Middlebury made it a 2-0 game at 37:59 as Ftorek fed an impressive lengthy through-ball to Hart. The sophomore took two quick dribbles on the right side before blasting a low hard shot into the left side of the net. The Panthers closed the half with a 2-0 lead and a 7-2 shots advantage.
The Panthers gained some breathing room in the second half as they made it a 3-0 game at the 51:32 mark. Graham attempted to clear a ball that was quickly intercepted by Middlebury’s LaRocca, as he gained possession and found the open net.
The Ephs best chance came in the 75th minute as Sam Empson’s shot from the left side hit the goal post. Bush ended the day with five saves to earn the win.
• Men’s soccer record: 17-2-1
• Up next: 11/23 vs. Loras (NCAA semifinals) – 7:30 @ Disney’s Wide World of Sports - Lake Buena Vista, Florida – 11/24 – NCAA Championship – 6:00
FIELD HOCKEY FALLS IN NCAA TITLE GAME
The Panther field hockey team Middlebury saw its hopes of a second NCAA field hockey title come to an end as they fell 4-3 to Bowdoin in the title game at Ursinus. The Panthers scored as many goals in the game as the Polar Bears had allowed all season. The national championship was the first-ever for Bowdoin College, as they finish the year with a perfect 20-0 mark. Middlebury ends the season at 17-5.
In the season's third meeting between the teams, it was Bowdoin who earned the first great chance of the game as a Polar Bear corner paid off just 3:25 into the contest. Kristen Veiga delivered a corner to the placement of Val Young. Julia King ripped a low shot that was deflected in front by Lindsay McNamara, who tipped it inside the left post to give Bowdoin a 1-0 lead.
A few minutes later, a Polar Bear turnover resulted in the first Middlebury penalty corner of the game. Junior Lindsay McBride (Old Greenwich, Conn.) whistled a low shot that sailed wide left, keeping the game scoreless. Senior Marnie Rowe (Harwich, Mass.) earned another chance with 20 minutes remaining in the opening period, wristing a shot from the left wing that was kicked away by Bowdoin goalkeeper Emileigh Mercer. The Polar Bears replied with a great scoring opportunity minutes later, as Hillary Hoffman broke in all alone on Middlebury junior goalie Caitlin Pentifallo (River Edge, N.J.). Pentifallo's diving pad save kept it a one-goal deficit for the Panthers.
Middlebury was able to even the score after a scrum in front of the net with 13:56 remaining. Off of the Panther's fourth corner of the game, sophomore Heather McCormack’s (Rowley, Mass.) initial shot was blocked by Mercer, but McCormack's second chance was lifted over the diving Bowdoin goalkeeper and into the cage to deadlock the contest. The Panthers took the lead just seconds 1:41 later, as Rowe played a corner pass to the waiting stick of senior Lacey Farrell (Greenwich, Conn.). Farrell placed it for McBride, who rifled a shot past Mercer to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead and put Bowdoin behind on the scoreboard for the first time all season.
Bowdoin replied with an offensive push, as an Ingrid Oelschlager run resulted in a foul from behind by Middlebury and a penalty shot for the Polar Bears. Lindsay McNamara buried the stroke inside the left post with just under 11 minutes left in the period.
With under a minute left in the half, Middlebury earned another penalty corner, but could not convert as the game entered intermission tied at two apiece.
Bowdoin regained the lead with 26:56 remaining as an entry pass from Kate Gormley found the leg pads of Pentifallo. The rebound came to the waiting stick of McNamara, who lofted the ball over the Panther keeper and into the cage for a 3-2 advantage. Middlebury answered with an offensive push, as first-year player Allison Grant (Louisville, Ky.) took control of a loose ball in front. Mercer made a kick save to maintain the one-goal lead with 23 minutes to go.
Bowdoin increased their lead with 18:57 to go thanks to a strong individual effort from Oelschlager. The NESCAC Rookie of the Year charged into the circle, earning a rebound off Pentifallo. Oelschlager slapped home the loose ball to give the Polar Bears a 4-2 advantage.
Middlebury attempted to get back into the game off a penalty corner with under 14 minutes to go. A bouncing ball in the circle came to the stick of senior Reid Berrien (Westport, Conn.), who buried her 22nd goal of the year to close the gap to a single tally, 4-3. The Panthers made a push and earned a penalty corner with under three minutes to go. But Kristen Veiga stepped in front for Bowdoin, breaking up the chance. That proved to be the final opportunity for the Panthers, who couldn't find the equalizer.
Despite allowing a season-high three goals, as many as they had allowed combined during the season, the Polar Bears prevailed thanks to five saves from Mercer. Pentifallo made four stops for Middlebury. McCormack, junior Taryn Petrelli (Harrison, N.Y.) and senior Katherine Entwisle (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) earned all-tournament team honors.
Middlebury advanced to the NCAA Championship game after a 2-1 overtime win over Salisbury in the NCAA semifinals at Ursinus.
Grant punched home a rebound off of a defensive save at 75:42 as the Panthers (17-4) advanced to the title game. The scoring chance was set up after a shot by Grant at 74:37 was saved by Sea Gulls goalkeeper Maria Ramoundos. The ball rebounded off of Ramoundos, which allowed McCormick to take a shot on goal. Salisbury senior back Kristina Holland then made a defensive save, before scoring the game-winner.
Middlebury controlled the overtime period, out shooting Salisbury 5-1.
Both teams had chances to score in the first half, although none was better than the shot off of the stick of Middlebury sophomore Madeleine Macmillian (Milton, Mass.), whose shot went just wide with one second left in the period.
In the second half, Salisbury took a 1-0 lead on its third penalty corner of the period. Danielle Twilley scored with an assist by Holland at 40:51.
From there, Middlebury outshot Salisbury 3-0 over the next 12:05, which was capped by a goal from McBride at 52:56 to tie the score. Grant and Farrell had the assists.
In the last five minutes of the second half, Salisbury outshot the Panthers 5-0. However, two of the shots were wide, one was blocked and Pentifallo made two saves, ending the game with five.
• Field hockey final record: 17-5
CROSS COUNTRY TEAMS RACE AT REGIONALS
The Middlebury College women's cross country team earned a 15th place finish out of 32 teams competing at the NCAA Championships hosted by St. Olaf in Minnesota. Amherst won the title, followed by Plattsburgh, Washington Univ. and Calvin.
Finishing third overall among 280 racers competing was Alexandra Krieg (Wellesley, Mass.) The junior earned All-American honors with a time of 21:23, 29 seconds off the winning pace.
Senior Ceara Danaher (W. Hartford, Conn.) was next for Middlebury, finishing in 85th place in 22:52, followed by senior Kate Hirschboeck (Coto de Caza, Calif.) in 144th place (23:17). First-year racers Sophia Spring (Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.) and Amanda Lee (Lincoln, Neb.) were next, finishing in 169th (23:25) and 172nd places (23:26) respectively.
Senior Sarah Norton (Denver, Colo.) also competed for the Panthers, placing 225th in 23:50, followed by rookie Kaitlyn Saldanha (Scarborough, Maine) in 252nd place (24:10).
On the men's side, senior Jimmy Butcher (Garden City, N.Y.) finished the 280-man race in 135th place, earning a time of 26 minutes.
• end of season
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WINS SWARTHMORE TOURNEY
The Panther women’s basketball team captured the Swarthmore Women's Basketball Tournament with an 85-66 win over the host school in the title game. Juniors Ashley Barron (Brockton, Mass.) and Emily Johnson (lower Gwynedd, Pa.) were both named to the all-tournament team.
Middlebury dominated the boards 50-28 in the game, as both teams shot over 44% on the afternoon. Johnson led the Panthers with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the game, while Barron scored a dozen. Senior Lani Young (Concord, N.H.) added 11 points and nine rebounds, while senior Katie Fisher (Oakland, Calif.) scored 10.
The Panthers advanced to the game after opening their season with a 69-59 win over Heidelburg. The Panthers shot .489 from the floor in the win.
Middlebury had four players in double figures on the season-opener, led by Johnson's 19 points and seven assists. Junior Aylie Baker (Yarmouth, Maine) added 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting, followed by Fisher and Barron with 13 points apiece. Young grabbed eight boards in the game, while Baker pulled down 11.
• Women’s basketball record: 2-0
•Up next: 11/20 @ Norwich
SWIM TEAMS OPEN WITH WINS OVER CONN.
The Middlebury College swimming and diving teams opened up their seasons with victories over Connecticut College at home. The men earned a 168-116 win, while the women were 170-112 victors.
First-year racer Ryan Marklewitz (Charlotte, N.C.) picked up a pair of wins to lead the men’s team, earning victories in the 200 back (2:03.18) and the 400 IM (4:23.41). Sophomore Schuyler Beeman (Guilford, Conn.) won the 100 back (56.56), senior Peter Bell (Deerfield, Mass) was a winner in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.23), while sophomore John Dillon (Wellesley, Mass.) won the 200 fly (1:58.49). Middlebury’s other winners were junior Kevin O’Rourke (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) in the 500 free (5:01.80) and senior Joe Johnston (Chapel Hill, N.C.), who won both diving events.
The men’s 200 medley relay team comprised of Beeman, Bell, Dillon and O’Rourke picked up a win with a time of 1:38.32.
Sophomore Yu Wang (Beijing, China) paced the women’s squad with a pair of wins on the afternoon. Wang captured the 100 back in 1:01.93, while winning the 200 back in 2:12.96. Sophomore Katie Soja (Sudbury, Mass.) won the 1000 free (10:43.93), junior Catherine Suppan (Burlington, Vt.) was a winner in the 100 breaststroke (1:09.87), while senior Anna Flores (W. Hartford, Conn.) picked up a win in the 200 breaststroke (2:32.10).
Senior Pam Chatikavanij (Bangkok, Thailand) earned a win in the 50 free (25.14), first-year racer Emily McDonald (Glenwood Springs, Colo.) won the 100 free (54.90), while senior Alanna Hanson (Golden Bridge, N.Y.) won both the 1M (217.58) and 3M (219.08) diving competitions.
The 200 medley relay team comprised of McDonald, senior Katie Chambers (Annapolis, Md.), rookie Annie Friedlander (Deephaven, Minn.) and senior Marika Ross (Shorewood, Wis.) won the race with a time of 1:52.48.
• Women’s swim record: 1-0, men’s swim record: 1-0
• Up next: 12/1 @ Amherst
MEN’S HOCKEY OPENS SEASON ON THE ROAD
The Panther men’s hockey team opened up its season with a 2-2 tie at Connecticut College. Conn.’s Jordan Gray tallied the equalizer for the hosts with just 1:30 remaining in regulation. Ryan Riffe had a goal and an assist for the Camels, while Greg Parker finished with 35 saves in net for Connecticut College.
Middlebury scored both of its goals in the middle period. Senior Justin Gaines (Mequon, Wis.) put in a power play goal with 7:53 remaining and sophomore Charlie Townsend (Pennington, N.J.) contributed a score with 52 seconds left in the frame. Senior Ross Cherry (Basking Ridge, N.J.) had 29 saves, stopping three shots in the overtime.
Middlebury picked up its first win of the season as they earned a 5-1 win at Tufts on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers outshot the Jumbos 39-10 on the afternoon, scoring two goals in the first and three in the third period.
After Tufts killed two Middlebury power plays in the first period, first-year player Michael Kretschmer (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored the game’s first goal at 17:15 of the first period. As the puck slid into the Tufts end with Middlebury in pursuit, Jumbo goalie James Kalec raced out of the net in an attempt to knock it away. The challenge squirted the puck to the right boards, where Kretschmer was able to collect it and put a wrist shot into an open goal. Just 37 seconds later, Middlebury rookie Chaz Svoboda (Verdun, Que.) scored as the Panthers led 2-0.
Middlebury dominated possession in the second period, but Tufts was able to capitalize on its first power play to cut the margin to 2-1. Lindsay Walker poked in the first goal of his collegiate career. Despite being out-shot 24-7 through two periods, Tufts trailed only 2-1 heading into the third.
Early in the third, Kalec stopped Middlebury’s Ken Suchoski (Bear Creek Township, Pa.) on a break-in. However, after failing on its first four power play attempts, Middlebury scored the crucial next goal with a man advantage.
Junior Jamie McKenna (Lake Placid, N.Y.) got the goal at 7:48 for a 3-1 Panther lead. That started a three-goal Panther run that also included a power play strike by Kretschmer at 10:09 and the first collegiate goal by rookie Trevor Dodds (Hanover, N.H.) at 17:20.
The Panthers limited Tufts to just 10 shots on goal as junior Doug Raeder (Needham, Mass.) made nine saves for the win. Kalec stopped 34 shots for the Jumbos (1-1), including 16 in the middle stanza.
McKenna and Svoboda both had a goal and an assist for the Panthers (1-0-1), who also got two assists from senior Mickey Gilchrist (Ottawa, Ont.).
• Men’s hockey record: 1-0-1
•Up next: 11/23 vs. Norwich @ Platts. (Primelink) – 4:00, 11/24 – vs. TBA – 4/7:00
MEN’S BASKETBALL GOES 1-1 AT STEVENS TOURNAMENT
The Middlebury College men's basketball team lost to the host school from Stevens, 73-63 in the finals of their tournament in N.J. Seniors Andrew Harris (Waterbury Center, Vt.) and Mike Walsh (Needham, Mass.) were named to the all-tournament team.
Middlebury shot just .311 from the floor and connected on 9 of 35 (.257) three's in the title game with Stevens. Walsh and first-year player Ashton Coghlan (New York, N.Y.) each netted 15 points in the game, while junior Ben Rudin (Scarsdale, N.Y.) added 13 points and five assists.
The previous night, Middlebury opened up its season with a 113-67 win over Merchant Marine Academy.
Middlebury used a dominating first-half performance to cruise to its victory over the Mariners. The Panthers shot 52.9 percent (18-for-34) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes as they led 53-18 at the break. Harris scored 18 of his game-high 20 points in the first half. For the game, he shot 7-for-12 from the floor and nailed four three-pointers.
Coghlan ended up with 15 points in his first collegiate game, while sophomore Tim Edwards (Greenwich, Conn.) added 13 points and nine assists. Rudin scored 12, Walsh netted 11, while junior Kyle Dudley (Scarsdale, N.Y.) chipped in with 10. Six different players scored in double-figures for Middlebury, which made 17 three-pointers in the game.
• Men’s basketball record: 1-1
•Up next: 11/20 vs. St. Lawrence – 6:00
WOMEN’S HOCKEY HOSTS TOURNAMENT
The Panther women’s hockey team opened its season with a 3-1 win over Elmira in the Panther/Cardinal Classic Tournament hosted by the Panthers in Kenyon Arena. Middlebury opened the scoring 4:13 into the game as junior Annmarie Cellino (W. Seneca, N.Y.) went upstairs with a backhander after a feed from junior Randi Dumont (Greene, Maine).
Elmira tied the game with 1:03 left in the period as Lauryn DePaul redirected a centering pass from along the boards by Jenna McCall.
First-year player Anna McNally (St. Paul, Minn.) scored the game-winner for Middlebury 5:40 into the third period, converting a pass from Cellino. Cellino added her second goal of the game at the 8:52 mark, poking home a lose puck in front.
Sophomore Lani Wright (Reading Mass.) made 23 saves in goal to earn the win, while Allison Cubberley made 30 saves for Elmira.
Plattsburgh captured the third annual Panther/Cardinal Classic Tournament as they defeated Middlebury 3-2 in the Kenyon Arena. Danielle Blanchard scored a natural hat-trick in the third period to lift the Cardinals to the win, earning tournament M.V.P. honors. Plattsburgh improves to 6-0 on the year, while Middlebury drops to 1-1. The Cardinals now sport a 35-game unbeaten streak, dating back to a 3-1 loss to Middlebury in the ’06 NCAA title game.
Middlebury took a 1-0 lead 12:32 into the first period when Cellino’s shot was saved before McNally stuffed home the rebound for a shorthanded goal.
Plattsburgh had a great chance to tie the game at the 15-minute mark, as Danielle Blanchard saw her one-timer from the slot saved by Middlebury rookie netminder, Lexi Bloom (Highland Park, Ill.). The Cardinals had a late power play, including 53 seconds of five-on-three play, but could not get the find the back of the net.
Middlebury took a 2-0 lead in the second period, when first-year player Julia Ireland (Greenwich, Conn.) took advantage of a turnover and scored from the low slot.
Plattsburgh made it a one-goal game with a power play goal 4:16 into the third period. Shay Bywater’s shot from the right point was tipped by Stephanie Moberg, before Blanchard put home the rebound in the slot.
The Cardinals tied the game at 8:17 and Blanchard and Bywater worked a perfect give-and-go with Blanchard netting her second of the period to tie the game at two.
Blanchard notched the hat-trick at 15:06 as she put home a rebound after a shot from Moberg was saved.
Middlebury pulled its goaltender in the final minute, but could not get the equalizer. Cellino and McNalley earned spots on the all-tournament team.
• Women’s hockey record: 1-1
•Up next: 11/224 vs. Wesleyan – 3:00, 11/25 vs. Hamilton – 2:00
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