Box Score The Middlebury men's soccer team put together a strong performance on the defensive end to propel them past Bates by a score of 3-0 on Sunday afternoon. With today's victory, Middlebury wins the Hedley Reynolds Cup for the second consecutive year. The cup is named after Thomas Hedley Reynolds, who served in administrative roles at both institutions.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury took a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute of the opening half. Following good combination play, Kyle Nilsson found himself at the top of the 18 yard box. He slipped a pass through two defenders to an onrushing Tyler Payne, who rolled the ball past the keeper and into the bottom left corner.
• Bates managed its first shot of the contest with just under seven minutes to go in the half. Cesar Hoover received a pass at the top of the box, and turned his defender before unleashing a right footed effort that whistled just inches over the bar. 
• The Panthers doubled their lead in the 41st minute. A free kick was swung in from around 35 yards away, and found its way through a host of defenders, before Casey Lund controlled it and blasted a close range strike on goal, which forced a superb sprawling save from Nico Hessel. The ball rebounded directly to Lund, who was alert to it, and headed it past the keeper and into the net. 
• Middlebury looked to have made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute. After a beautiful give-and-go in the box, Luke Madden was one-on-one with Hessel and struck a shot heading for the upper left corner. Hessel reacted quickly, and palmed the ball over the bar.
• With 26 minutes to go, the Panthers did find their third goal. William O'Brien laced a cross into the box that was headed up in the air. As it came down, it deflected off a Bates defender and trickled past the keeper and into the empty net for the 3-0 advantage. 
• The Bobcats almost got on the board in the 80th minute. Following a corner kick, Max McKersie won the header, but his effort flashed just wide of the left post. 
• With six minutes left in the contest, Middlebury had a great opportunity to tack on another tally. O'Brien broke away down the right side, and played a great cross through the six yard box, but it was just beyond the reach of Noah Hannam, whose sliding effort rolled inches wide.

NOTES

• Payne and Lund each scored their third goal of the year, keeping them in a tie for the team lead. 
• Middlebury's defense held the Bobcats to zero shots on target, a season best. 
• Ryan Grady posted the 23rd clean sheet of his career, moving him into third place in Middlebury's record books.