The #5/second-seeded Middlebury men's lacrosse team shut out #16/third-seeded Williams in the second half to secure a 13-7 NESCAC Semifinal victory. The Panthers look to bring home the program's eighth conference crown when they take on #1/top-seeded Tufts at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday in the title tilt. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Williams opened the scoring with just 46 seconds expired when Calvin Caputo scooped up a ground ball just outside of the crease and slung an around-the-back shot into the goal for the 1-0 edge.
• Middlebury's Tom Conley evened the score with a shot over the right shoulder of goalie Matthew Freitas. 
• The Panthers took a 2-1 edge when Jake Peluso fed a nice pass to Billy Curtis who deeked the netminder and snuck the ball inside the right pipe.
• The Ephs tallied four of the next five goals to take a 5-3 lead after one quarter of action.
• The teams traded the initial pair of markers to start the second, before Middlebury rattled off four unanswenred goals, each with a different scorer.
• Williams closed out the half with a goal of its own, cutting the Panther advantage down to one (8-7).
• Middlebury shut out the Ephs in the second half, tallying twice in the third and three times in the final stanza for the 13-7 victory. William Ryan recorded a pair of markers during the span to complete his hat trick. 

NOTES

• The Panthers will make their 11th appearance in the NESCAC Championship on Sunday, and hope to take home the first conference crown since 2007.
• Today's win marked Middlebury's 29th victory during league tournament action, which is the second most.
• The Panthers will look to avenge their lone loss of the season, which came at the hands of the Jumbos who remain unbeaten.