Colin Dugan converted a penalty kick with 37:43 left in Saturday's second half, leading the #3 Middlebury men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Bates in a battle for the Hedley Reynolds Cup. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• With shots hard to come by in the opening half, the Panthers recorded their only attempt with 14:27 elapsed. A rising chance from Tyler Payne from just inside the box was blocked by a Bobcat defender and out of harm's way.
• Bates tried its luck just over a minute later, but a curling attempt from Andrew Jean Baptiste from 30 yards sailed wide right.
• The Bobcats had an opportunity in the 31st minute on a free kick by Henry Kuenstler that rode the gusting winds and took a funny bounce. Panther goalie Joey Waterman dove to his left and punched the shot away.
• Gerald Costa Farr produced the final chance of the stanza for Bates on a free kick from 35 yards. Waterman corralled the lofted shot to keep the contest scoreless.
• Middlebury utilized the steady wind at its back and turned up its offensive pressure in the initial minutes of the second frame. The Panthers posted a pair of shots just over a minute apart with the greatest opportunity coming off the foot of Shane Farrell from the edge of the box that scooted wide of the right post.
• The Panthers got on the scoreboard with 37:43 remaining after the hosts were whistled for a foul inside the box. Dugan stepped to the penalty dot, burying his attempt into the left panel past Bobcat goalie George Nassar for a 1-0 lead.
• Nearly five minutes later, the visitors searched for the second goal with a trio of opportunities. The best chance came at the 56:37 mark when Keagan Harder had his shot near the post denied by the leg of Nassar.
• Middlebury manufactured a quality chance when a knuckling shot in the 69th minute by William O'Brien was smothered by Nassar.
• Pushing for the equalizer, Costa Farr gathered a pass forward on the right side, blasting a right-footed shot just over the crossbar with 6:33 showing on the clock.
• The Panther defense withstood one final chance in the 90th minute on a bouncing ball inside the box that defender Owen Davis cleared away to preserve the 1-0 triumph.

NOTES

• The tally was Dugan's fifth goal of the season and his first game-winner of the campaign.
• Waterman tallied his eighth clean sheet this fall.
• Middlebury claims the Hedley Reynolds Cup for the fourth-consecutive season. The cup is named after Thomas Hedley Reynolds, who served in administrative roles at both institutions.
• The programs played for the 44th meeting in an all-time series that the Panthers hold a 33-8-3 advantage. Middlebury has been the victors in five of the last six contests and held the Bobcats without a goal in four-straight games.

The Panthers close out the regular-season portion of their schedule on Tuesday when they host Williams at 2:30 p.m.