Keagan Harder netted the lone goal during a tightly-contested NCAA Third Round contest on Saturday, propelling #3 Middlebury to a 1-0 triumph over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The Panthers advance to the quarterfinals and take on the winner of #11 Babson and #13 Trinity (TX) on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on South Street Field. 
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Stags pushed the envelope in the 20th minute with Rafael Otero firing a point-blank attempt that tipped in front of the goal. Waterman came up clutch, kicking his leg out and redirecting the ball out of harms way.
• CMS put together one final push to close the opening half. Shaan Malik got behind the defense and rushed towards the box before sending a cross to the left post. Heiko Schultz flicked the ball with his right foot, but could not get enough power behind it, allowing Waterman to corral the ball to keep the game scoreless heading into halftime.
• Middlebury manufactured the first quality chance of the second stanza with 48:25 elapsed. Will Sawin worked his way through two defenders near the CMS endline. Sawin had some daylight and fired a shot that goalkeeper Miles Demarest deflected out.
• Sawin nearly had another chance about nine minutes later. A Stag shot blocked by Hank Nelson squirted free towards Shane Farrell, who lifted a pass that bounced off the head of a CMS defender. A footrace ensued with Sawin getting possession first and racing with two defenders near, but his pass back to a trailing Farrell was kicked out of the endline by Zeno Bang.
• The Stags brought forward their first chance of the half in the 58th minute with Otero finding John Laidlaw just inside the goalie box. Waterman stepped up, blocking the bid with his chest to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.
• The home squad continued its pressure with a quality chance with 67:29 elapsed off a free kick. Eduardo Casanova stepped up and laced a shot that sailed inches over the top-right 90. 
• Middlebury finally broke through with 6:15 remaining in regulation. Kyle Nilsson forced a Stags' turnover and took the ball deep into CMS territory. With a defender sprinting to his left side, Nilsson set a cross that glanced off the tip of Harder's cleat and into the bottom left corner for a 1-0 edge.
• The Stags had two opportunities with consecutive free kicks in the 84th and 88th minutes but could not find the back of the net as Middlebury clinched its spot in the final eight. 

NOTES

• Harder scored his team-leading 10th goal in the triumph.
• Nilsson moved to the top of the Panther's assist department with his eighth. It is also his  
• Saturday's matchup was the first between the Panthers and Stags in men's soccer.

Middlebury will make its seventh appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals and second-straight on Sunday, with a trip to the final four on the line.