The fifth-ranked Middlebury men's lacrosse team outscored #17 Union (N.Y.) 10-4 in the second half on its way to a 19-10 triumph in the third round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. With the victory, the Panthers move on to square off with #3 Rochester Institute of Technology with the location and game time to be announced in the upcoming days.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Trailing 2-1 nearly eight minutes into the first quarter, the Panthers rattled off three goals spanning 3:24 of action. Russell Thorndike capped the run, ripping a left-handed shot from 17 yards out that found space in the upper-right corner. 
• Logan White closed the opening-quarter scoring for Middlebury, finding nylon on a turnaround jumping shot with six seconds left for a 5-2 lead.
• Goals by Billy Curtis on a bouncing shot and Jack Sheehan with a rifling rip 2:15 later increased the lead to 7-2.
• The Dutchmen responded with four-straight markers over the next six minutes, as Jake Mabardy scored from 10 yards away on a tough angle to pull the hosts to within one (7-6).
• Middlebury recorded the final pair of tallies of the quarter, as Patrick Jamin laced a shot into the upper-left corner, while Cooper DeMallie scored an underhanded quick-stick shot following a pass from Jamin for a 9-6 halftime lead.
• After a failed clear by Union, Luke Simpson scooped up the loose ball and raced down the field, firing a shot into the left side of the goal with 12:16 remaining for a 10-6 advantage.
• The Panthers went on a three-goal spurt with tallies from Curtis, Jake Peluso and Thorndike for a 13-6 advantage with 5:30 showing on the third-quarter clock.
• Zach Davis tallied a player-down goal into the left side of the net at the 4:45 mark, before scoring with 36 seconds remaining on a shot from the right to pull the Dutchmen to within five (13-8) after three quarters.
• DeMallie secured his hat trick scoring 46 seconds into fourth-quarter action, scooping up a groundball just outside the crease and firing a behind-the-back shot that tickled the nylon for a 14-8 lead.
• Davis cut the deficit to five (14-9) four minutes later, but Sheehan answered with a bouncing shot between the legs of Union goalie Dan Donahue while Middlebury was a player up.
• Tom Conley drifted to the left side, firing a shot over the shoulder of Donahue with 6:40 left, before Sheehan completed his hat trick on a right-handed bouncer 1:41 later for the 17-9 lead.
• A goal by Davis for the Dutchmen and tallies from Tyler Forbes and Will Zink provided the final 19-10 score.

NOTES

• Simpson tied his season high with seven groundballs to go along with three caused turnovers. 
• Sheehan tallied three goals in the victory, matching his season-best total.
• Middlebury improves to 18-2 overall, as the 18 victories tie the program single-season record set in 2002.
• Sunday's contest was the 56th meeting between the programs with Middlebury owning a 37-19 advantage. The Dutchmen and the Panthers played earlier this season in Austin, Texas with the blue and white prevailing 15-9.
• With the victory, Middlebury improved to 35-14 in program history during NCAA Tournament action.  

The Panthers are making their 13th NCAA Quarterfinal appearance in program history and the first since 2010.