A championship atmosphere will descend upon South Street Field as the second-seeded Middlebury men's soccer team has earned the right to host the semifinal and final rounds of the 2024 NESCAC Tournament. The Panthers face off with eighth-seeded Bowdoin on Saturday at 10:45 a.m., while fourth-seeded Williams battles sixth-seeded Connecticut College in the second semifinal at 1:30 p.m.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury came out fast in last weekend's quarterfinal, tallying three goals in the opening 12:22 to secure a 4-2 victory over Hamilton. 
• The Panthers continue their search for their first conference title since 2010 and fourth overall. 
• The program is hosting championship weekend in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history. 
• Middlebury has appeared in every conference tournament since its implementation in 2000. 
• The program's 27 victories in the conference postseason is second behind Amherst, who has 32. 
• This is Middlebury's 21st trip to the semifinals as the squad advanced to this round for the fifth consecutive season.
• The Panthers are one of five teams still unbeaten in Division III (13-0-3) and tallied consecutive unbeaten regular season records for the first time since the 1972-73 campaigns.
• Middlebury has shared the wealth with 18 players recording at least a point. It is the sixth consecutive season that the team has had 15 or more players get on the board.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Ari Klayman leads the team and sits second in the NESCAC with seven assists.
• Colin Dugan and Gavin Randolph's tallies against the Continentals pushed them into a tie with Keagan Harder at the top of the Panther attack with six. The trio have combined for 18 goals and 42 points during the campaign.
• Kyle Nilsson (3G, 6A) and Eduardo Casanova (3G, 5A) have become a solid pairing in the midfield for the lethal Panther offense. 
• Luke Madden and William O'Brien have been journeymen for a stingy Middlebury defense that has allowed the second-least goals in the conference with eight. The duo have combined for 2,565 minutes on the field. Madden has also made his mark on the offensive end with three goals and three assists. 
• Rounding out the backline is Hank Nelson who has started in all 16 contests. Nelson earned his first career point with an assist on the Panther's second goal against Hamilton.
• Goalkeeper Joey Waterman has been a force in net, leading the conference with nine shutouts and posting the third-best save percentage (.860). The netminder helped secure Middlebury's second-straight unbeaten regular-season with a career-best nine saves last week.

ABOUT BOWDOIN

• Bowdoin comes off an upset of top-seeded Tufts in the quarterfinals, winning 4-3 on penalty kicks. 
• The Polar Bears have appeared in the semifinals 13 times and reached the championship game on four occasions, taking home the crown in 2014 and 2015.
• Bowdoin has had 14 players find the back of the net with nine of them scoring multiple times this year.
• Defensively, the Polar Bears have conceded 19 goals but have only given up two or more goals four times this season.

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• Tyler Huck paces Bowdoin with eight goals and 21 points, which are also second and third in the conference, respectively. The midfielder has tallied five assists and has three game-winners.
• Ronaldo Cabral (13) and Mateo Pacelli (11) have also registered double-digit points. Cabral has a team-leading seven helpers while Pacelli has found the back of the net four times.
• Keito Ishibashi and Paul Cluskey are Bowdoin's top defensive players. Ishibashi has logged the most minutes of any Polar Bear defender (1,154) and has contributed four assists. Cluskey has played every minute of the last four contests.  
• In goal, Alex Ainsworth has made 35 stops and owns a .648 save percentage. The junior has three individual and two combined shutouts on the season.

ABOUT WILLIAMS

• Williams advanced to the semifinals after a hard-fought 2-1 victory in double overtime over Wesleyan in the quarterfinals.
• The Ephs are seeking their seventh title and first since 2009.
• Williams is looking to make the championship game for the 11th time, most recently in 2018.
• The program is making its 24th appearance in the tournament and owns the third-most victories with 24.
• Williams comes into the weekend at 10-3-3 overall and has gone 6-1-3 in its last 10 contests.
• Lorcan Mitchell (6G, 2A) and Alex Bethencourt (4G, 3A) pace Williams in points, contributing 14 and 11 each. 
• Goalkeeper Ben Diffley has logged the most minutes of any Ephs player with 1,407 and is second in the conference with a .890 save percentage.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT COLLEGE

• Connecticut College advanced to the semifinals with an upset of third-seeded Amherst in penalty kicks, 4-2.
• The Camels are searching for their first conference title and looking to make the championship game for the third time in the last four seasons.
• Connecticut College is making its 15th appearance in the postseason tournament.
• The program has stayed hot, going unbeaten in nine of its last 10 matches.
• Matt Scoffone had found the back of the net a team-high seven times for the Camels. Marco Perugini has been another viable threat with five assists alongside two goals.
• Connecticut College's backline has been patrolled by Dylan Hoke, Max Haberman and Charlie Miles. The trio has each logged over 1,000 minutes of game action and has helped the Camels record 10 shutouts this season.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury and Bowdoin meet for the 44th time with the Panthers holding a 19-14-10 edge in the all-time series. The Panthers rallied from a 2-1 deficit with three goals over nearly 12 minutes in the second half to take a 4-2 victory earlier this season in Maine. Middlebury holds a 5-0-3 edge in the NESCAC Tournament, including a 1-0 victory in double overtime in the 2017 semifinals.
• If the Panthers and the Camels square off, the meeting will be the 42nd all-time matchup with the Panthers owning a 28-8-5 advantage. The teams played to a 0-0 draw on September 28. The programs have matched up three times in the NESCAC Tournament with Middlebury holding a 2-0-1 record. The sides have only ever met in the quarterfinal round.
• Should Williams and Middlebury battle for the championship on Sunday, it will be the 78th all-time matchup between the conference foes. The Panthers secured a 2-0 victory to close the regular season on October 29.
• The programs have played 12 times in the NESCAC Tournament with Williams holding a 6-4-2 edge. The programs have matched up in the championship game five times. Middlebury grabbed the first battle in the inaugural tournament in 2000 while the Ephs secured the last four (2001, 2004, 2006, 2009). 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Schedule
  • Saturday, November 9
    • Middlebury vs. Bowdoin - 11:00 a.m.
    • Williams vs. Tufts - 1:30 p.m.
  • Sunday, November 10
    • Championship - 12:00 p.m. 
• Championship Central

The championship team earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with the bracket being revealed on Monday, November 11.