A pair of first-half goals from Tyler Payne and Kyle Nilsson was all that the #3 Middlebury men's soccer team needed as it edged Johns Hopkins 2-1 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Blue Jays looked to get on the board at the 16:05 mark. Max Edelstein fired a left-footed shot toward the near post, but Panther goalkeeper Ryan Grady was alert and parried the effort.
• Jordan Saint-Louis nearly opened the scoring with 32:48 expired as he blasted a 30-yard free kick that swung just wide of the upper right corner. 
• The Panthers broke through four minutes later. Harper Nicholl combined with Eujin Chae who clipped a through ball to Saint-Louis, who rushed down the left side of the field. Saint-Louis fired a low cross into the box that was met by Payne who tapped the ball in from close range to make it 1-0.
• Middlebury doubled the lead with 4:08 remaining in the half. Saint-Louis whipped in a corner kick and Nilsson connected with his head, redirecting the ball into the bottom left corner for a 2-0 advantage.
• The Panthers almost found the back of the net again in the 52nd minute. Saint-Louis dribbled past a defender and sent a pass to Nilsson who rifled a shot toward the top-right corner, but Johns Hopkins' goalie Drew Valsamedis thwarted the bid at the near post.
• The Blue Jays cut the deficit in half (2-1) at the 66:33 mark. Griffin Meyer pounced on a deflected shot inside the 18-yard box and calmly slipped his close-range effort past Grady and into the bottom corner.
• Johns Hopkins continued to apply pressure with six shots during the final 20 minutes of action. The Blue Jays' best chances to find an equalizer came with just under eight minutes to go. Max Edelstein ripped a curling shot that looked destined for the bottom right corner, but a diving Grady poked the effort just wide of the post. 
• Ian Whamond followed it up just a minute later, rattling the crossbar with a thunderous left-footed effort that narrowly missed the top-left corner.
• Johns Hopkins looked to level the match in the final five minutes, but the Panther defense held strong, securing the 2-1 victory and a spot in the round of 16.

NOTES

• Grady made four saves in today's victory, which moves him into first in school history with 265 career stops.
• Saint-Louis' two assists today bumps him into second place in the Middlebury single-season record books with 10 helpers and third in career assists with 19.
• With two goals in today's win, the Panthers have now scored a program-best 48 goals this season, breaking the previous record of 46 set in 2015.
• This was the first meeting in history between the two men's soccer programs.

The Panthers will face SUNY Cortland in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, with the site to be announced.