The fourth-ranked Middlebury men's soccer used two late second-half goals to secure a 3-1 victory over #11 Babson on Sunday afternoon at South Street Field. The triumph pushed the Panthers to 10 wins for the seventh time in the last nine years.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury had the first chance with 2:47 elapsed. Colin Dugan whipped in a corner that Will Sawin got a head on, but a Beaver defender deflected it away.
• The Panthers struck first at the 4:26 mark. Ari Klayman sailed a throw-in towards a cluster of players. Kyle Nilsson deflected the ball towards Sawin, who placed it in the top right 90 for a 1-0 edge
• Babson looked to tie things up in the 14th minute. Will Lloyd sent a back pass to Joao Araujo who fired toward the right post. Joey Waterman read the play perfectly, smothering the chance.
• Middlebury once again turned up the heat six minutes later, firing three consecutive shots. Hank Nelson sent a chance that was flicked away by Babson goalkeeper Walker White. Nilsson and Shane Farrell tried their luck seconds later, lacing shots that deflected off two separate Beaver defenders.
• Dugan had a chance to double the Panther lead after being taken down in the box with 36:07 elapsed. He stepped up to the penalty dot and was thwarted by a timely dive to the left by White.
• Middlebury looked to convert at the 54:03 mark. Nilsson dribbled down the Babson end line and whipped in a screamer that Dugan fired off the top of the crossbar.
• The Beavers leveled the score in the 57th minute. Kento Abe sent a ball that bounced off Liam Rhatigan's left foot and past a diving Waterman to make it 1-1.
• Middlebury regrouped before a prime chance at the 59:41 mark. Eduardo Casanova blitzed down the field and slid a ball towards the left corner of the box. Shane Farnell headed the ball down and got a good bounce off the turf, but White shooed the ball away to keep it deadlocked at 1-1.
• Luca Tusche looked to put the visitors in front in the 76th minute, settling the ball and firing from point-blank range. Waterman stepped up to the occasion, deflecting the ball out of play, creating a roar from the Middlebury faithful.
• The momentum finally swung back towards the home team with a little over two minutes to go. Dugan flicked in a header that was punched away by White. Eduardo Casanova handled the loose ball and found Klayman for possession from the right corner of the box. And he made the chance count, burying a shot just inside the left post to put the Panthers in front, 2-1.
• Keagan Harder added the final goal less than a minute later, forcing a turnover just outside the Babson goalie box and finding the lower right corner to seal the 3-1 victory.

NOTES

• Harder tied Gavin Randolph for the team lead in goals with his fifth in Sunday's win.
• Nilsson earned a point for the third time in the last four contests.
• Klayman tallied his second multi-point game of the season and took over the team lead in assists with five.
• Sunday's battle was the first time the Panthers and Beavers dueled since Middlebury earned a 1-0 victory in the 2010 NCAA Sectional hosted by Bowdoin.

The Panthers hit the road for a NESCAC showdown with #3 Tufts on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.