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WillSpehr24Bates6
Will Costello
Will Spehr caused one turnover during the win and was part of a defensive unit that forced 20 total turnovers on the day.
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Amherst AMHERST 10-6
9
Winner Middlebury MIDML 9-7
Amherst AMHERST
10-6
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Final
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Middlebury MIDML
9-7
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Amherst AMHERST 3 1 1 1 6
Middlebury MIDML 5 2 0 2 9

Game Recap: Men's Lacrosse |

Defense Shines As #18 Men’s Lacrosse Downs #13 Amherst 9-6 In NESCAC Quarterfinals

The #18/fourth-seeded Middlebury men's lacrosse team utilized great defense to stifle #13/fifth-seeded Amherst and earn a hard-fought 9-6 victory in the NESCAC Quarterfinal round. The Panthers forced 20 total turnovers and held the Mammoths to just a .656 clearing percentage.
 
HIGHLIGHTS
  • Middlebury got out to a fast start, as Russell Thorndike found the back of the net after just 50 seconds. Billy Curtis doubled the lead with 3:20 elapsed, before Thorndike bagged his second marker with 8:30 showing on the clock to give the hosts a 3-0 advantage. 
  • Amherst quickly leveled the contest at three apiece as they answered with a 3-0 burst of their own over the next 3:19 of action to make it 3-3. 
  • With 2:28 left in the opening quarter, Jake Peluso restored the Panthers' lead (4-3) on the fast break, as he slotted his shot past Mammoth goalie Brooks Catlin and inside the left post.
  • With two ticks showing on the clock, Middlebury grabbed a fifth goal. Will Zink's initial effort was saved by Catlin, but the rebound fell to Will Ford who scooped up the groundball right in front of crease and tucked his shot into the bottom corner to give the hosts a 5-3 advantage after one stanza.
  • Thorndike picked up where he left off to begin the second quarter, ripping a shot from the right side into the upper corner to extend the host's lead to 6-3 after 1:55 elapsed.
  • Amherst pulled back within three (7-4) at the 4:26 mark as Jake Bennett cut past a defender and flipped a close-range marker into the net.
  • The third stanza was a largely defensive affair, with the Mammoths scoring the lone tally. Bennett netted his second marker, receiving a pass from Alex Vlacich and firing a turn-around shot into the left portion of the goal to bring the score to 7-5.
  • The visitors cut the deficit to just one (7-6) with 1:13 gone  in the final frame when Bennett Chow found nylon on the player-up advantage 
  • The Panthers would not be denied the victory. With 8:29 to go, Thorndike brought the crowd to its feet, unleashing a rocket into the top right corner to make it 8-6. 
  • Just 35 seconds later, Logan White ripped a bid from the right side past Catlin to push the lead back to three (9-6). 
  • From there, the Middlebury defense kept Amherst at bay to see out the 9-6 triumph.
NOTES
  • Luke Simpson paced the Panthers in the back field, causing four turnovers and scooping up five groundballs.
  • Teddy Curran caused one turnover during today's win, which moves him into fifth-place in the Middlebury single-season record books with 25.
  • With four goals this afternoon, Thorndike has now tallied 105 markers for his career and has found the back of the net in every game this season.
  • In between the pipes, Hayden Kern thwarted nine attempts while only allowing six goals.
  • The Panthers and the Mammoths battled for the 72nd time, with Middlebury holding a decisive 45-26-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Panthers remain an unblemished 8-0 against Amherst in NESCAC Tournament play.
Middlebury advances to the conference semifinal round and will learn its opponent at the conclusion of Saturday's competition.
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