The fifth-ranked Middlebury men's lacrosse team concluded the regular-season portion of its schedule with a 14-8 win Wednesday at #19 Williams. With the victory, the Panthers retain the Thomsen Trophy, a tradition started in 1984.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Ephs struck 1:23 into the first quarter, as Calvin Caputo found the back of the net. 
• The Panthers put together a four-goal run spanning 6:37 for a 4-1 advantage as four different players scored during the spurt, including a player-up goal from William Ryan. 
• Markers by Williams' Ryan Johnson with four minutes left and a tally from Russell Thorndike in the waning seconds gave the visitors a 5-2 lead after one quarter.
• The Panthers opened the second stanza scoring four of the first six goals, including a pair of tallies by Jake Peluso and a left-handed rip from 15 yards out by Cooper DeMallie for a 9-4 advantage.
• The Ephs pulled to within four (9-5) on a quick-stick goal by Harrison Cross with 2.6 seconds remaining in the half.
• Middlebury increased its lead to 10-5 with 1:41 elapsed in the third quarter when Tom Conley scored on a bouncer following a spin move just outside the crease.
• Williams responded with three-straight goals, moving to within two (10-8) when Finlay MacKnight dodged his defender and snuck the ball over the goal line with 6:34 left in the stanza.
• The Panthers tallied the final two goals of the quarter, as Thorndike scored on a turnaround jump shot and Jack Sheehan laced a left-handed shot from 15 yards out that found nylon for a 12-8 lead.
• Middlebury's defense locked down the Eph offense during the final quarter, not allowing Williams to score and limiting the hosts to just nine shots with four on target that goalie Hayden Kern saved.
• On the offensive end, a bouncer by Billy Curtis and a player-up tally from Tyler Forbes just 43 seconds later provided the final six-goal victory.

NOTES

• Peluso finished with a career-high three goals in the victory.
• Curtis tallied three goals and added three assists in the win, surpassing the 100-career point total (105).
• The Panther defense didn't allow the Williams offense to score over the final 21:34 and had 15 caused turnovers. The double-digit caused turnover total marks the seventh-straight game and the 10th time this season the unit has reached that plateau.
• Middlebury improves to 7-1 this season against nationally-ranked opponents.
• The Panthers improved to 14-1 with the win, marking the most victories since 2009.
• Middlebury, who leads Division III in clearing percentage, was a perfect 22-22 in the win.
• The two programs met for the 73rd time with the Panthers leading the all-time series 45-27. 
• The Thomsen Trophy started in 1984 by Middlebury Hall of Famer Jeff Thomsen '83, and his brother Peter who captained and played for Williams.

The Panthers return to action on Saturday when they host a NESCAC Quarterfinal contest. The game time and the opponent will be announced by the conference office on Wednesday night.