The #18 Middlebury men's lacrosse team utilized a five-goal run during Saturday's third quarter and held off a late comeback bid from Colby to post a 7-5 victory in Maine.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers took the early lead 3:41 into the first stanza. Russell Thorndike ripped a shot from 10 yards out that tucked into the upper-right corner for the 1-0 edge.
• Middlebury looked to double its lead with 3:07 left, but a shot from straight away by Billy Curtis was saved by the stick of Mule goalie Will Heisler.
• Colby nearly knotted the contest on its next possession, but Panther netminder Hayden Kern denied a point-blank bid from Gavin Rothenberg with his stick.
• The goalies were the story of the second quarter, as Heisler made six stops and Kern saved a trio of Colby attempts.
• With 4:42 elapsed in the frame, Jake Peluso made it a 2-0 game. Thorndike found a cutting Peluso who gathered and rifled the ball into the upper corner over the shoulder of Heisler.
• The hosts earned a player-up advantage two minutes later, but Kern saved a shot by Bennett Goller to maintain the two-goal lead.
• Following the halftime break, Colby evened the contest with a pair of tallies in the opening 2:05 of the third quarter. Goller weaved around a teammate's pick and rifled a shot over Kern's shoulder before Ethan Taerstein worked from behind the goal and sent a shot into the top-right corner.
• The Panthers rattled off the next five goals spanning 5:27 of action for a 7-2 advantage. John McCarthy started the run with a bid just inside the left post before Will Ford bounced a shot into the lower-left corner. Tallies from Brendan Hickey after racing coast-to-coast, Will Spehr following a turnover and Jackson Hanson who deked the goalie before scoring gave Middlebury a 7-2 lead.
• The Mules pulled to within two (7-5) on a pair of markers from Cormac O'Neill 3:56 apart, followed by a tally from Gavin Rothenberg when he collected his own rebound and quickly found the back of the net with four minutes remaining. 
• Colby gained possession quickly after the ensuing faceoff, but the Panther defensive unit forced a possession clock violation and maintained control of the ball for most of the remaining time to hang on for the 7-5 victory.

NOTES

• Pete Steinle scooped up a career-high five groundballs during the win. 
• Middlebury featured seven different goal scorers in the victory, while nine players tallied a point including two each by Ford and Thorndike.
• The programs played for the 30th time with the Panthers holding a 22-8 advantage in the all-time series. Middlebury has won three-consecutive contests and eight of the last 10 matchups.

The Panthers return to action on Tuesday with a 4:00 p.m. home contest against #5 St. Lawrence.