The third-ranked Middlebury men's soccer team scored two goals in the opening 45 minutes to secure a 2-0 victory over #20 Williams on Tuesday from South Street Field. With the victory, the Panthers tally their second-straight unbeaten regular season, a feat not achieved since the 1970s.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury wasted little time, jumping on the scoreboard at the 3:44 mark. Kyle Nilsson dribbled the ball toward the goalie box before passing to Shane Farrell. The senior worked towards the left and blasted a shot that slid past Eph goalie Ben Diffley for a 1-0 edge.
• Will Sawin looked to double the lead less than two minutes later with a header that Diffley dove to smother.
• The wind brought a nice opportunity for the home team with 9:17 elapsed. Colin Dugan whipped in a corner that curled towards the right post. Diffley stood his ground and rose above a crowd of white and purple to snatch the ball out of the air.
• Williams had its first chance on a free kick at the 11:53 mark. Diffley launched a ball from the center circle that sailed toward a host of players. Joey Waterman came off his line and corralled the ball for his first stop of the afternoon.
• Diffley tried his luck again in the 17th minute with the help of the wind from just behind the midline. Waterman rose to the occasion again, cupping the ball to his right shoulder to keep the 1-0 edge.
• Keagan Harder had a chance from inside the six with 41:15 expired, lacing a shot that looked destined for the top left corner. Diffley denied the chance, clamping the ball to his chest. 
• Middlebury extended its lead 41 seconds later. Anderson Gardner slid towards the middle of the box and passed left towards a blitzing Harder. The sophomore lost possession for a moment but recovered, working back toward the middle and skipping a shot that found the back of the net for a 2-0 advantage heading into halftime.
• Williams came out of the break with a strong opportunity 53 seconds in. Ali Coleman found daylight and laced an attempt that bounced off the left post.
• With the momentum leaning towards the visitors, the Ephs put together a nearly cut the deficit in half with 50:29 elapsed. Kellan Grace sailed in a corner kick that was deflected up in the air and went off the forehead of Coleman toward the bottom left corner of the net. Sawin flicked the ball away before it crossed the goal line for the team save.
• The Panthers looked to extend their lead at the 56:24 mark. Eduardo Casanova collected a cross and fired low middle. Diffley got his foot and hand down at the right time to stop the attempt.
• The Ephs continued applying pressure in the 62nd minute. Alex Bethencourt timed a run to perfection to jump past the defense, leaving him one-on-one with the goalie. Waterman made a beeline towards Bethencourt and deflected the shot away with his lower half, causing a massive roar from the Panther faithful.
• Middlebury looked to tack on another tally in the 77th minute. Charlie Johnson found a wide-open Gardner inside the 18-yard box. Gardner tried to tuck a shot into the bottom left 90, only to be stifled on a diving stop from Diffley.
• Williams had the final chance of the game with 86:52 gone on a crossing shot from Bethencourt, but Waterman smothered the bid to secure the shutout.

NOTES

• Harder tallied his team-leading sixth goal.
• Waterman earned his ninth shutout of the season in Tuesday's triumph.
• With his 16th career assist, Nilsson is now tied for sixth in program history.
• The conference foes played for the 77th time with Williams holding a 35-32-10 edge in the all-time series. Middlebury has won four out of the last five matchups.

The NESCAC Tournament seedings will be announced on Tuesday evening after the final regular-season conference contest concludes.