The Middlebury men's soccer team has earned the sixth seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament, traveling to face #10 Bowdoin in a NESCAC Quarterfinal match on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury has made every conference tournament since the first one took place in 2000. Amherst and Williams are the only other programs that share the distinction.
• The Panthers have earned 28 victories during NESCAC postseason action and have advanced to the championship game 11 times.
• Middlebury is searching for back-to-back NESCAC Championship contest appearances for the first time since 2009-10.
• The Panthers land inside the conference's top five in numerous categories. The squad enters the postseason ranking first in shots per match (18.0) while netting 2.07 goals per game. Middlebury has allowed just eight goals, tied for the second-fewest concessions in the league. The team also ranks third in shots on goal per match (7.64).

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• Will Sawin leads the Panthers with six goals and 16 points. His point total shares second in the NESCAC, while his goal tally ties him for third. Eduardo Casanova shares a tie for the conference lead with seven helpers, five of which have been distributed in the past five contests.
• Gavin Randolph has brought a late spark to Middlebury's offense. The Panther has nine points in his last five outings, finding the back of the net twice in a 4-0 win over Colby.
• Middlebury boasts 16 different goal scorers, with many recent tallies being recorded by the midfield. Keagan Harder holds second on the team with four goals alongside nine points in 14 contests.
• Pablo Gonzalez is the lone defender to log over 1,000 minutes this season, while rookies Orlando Cavaceppi-Dove (919) and Hamin Kim (901) have started all 14 games on the backline.
• Joey Waterman has stood tall as Middlebury's primary goalkeeper. The senior has allowed the fewest goals of any NESCAC netminder (six) and owns a conference-best .872 save percentage.

ABOUT BOWDOIN

• The Polar Bears make their 23rd appearance in the NESCAC Tournament and eye their third conference title.
• Bowdoin claimed back-to-back league championships in 2014 and 2015. The program has reached the championship match on four occasions.
• The Polar Bears closed the regular season with a 10-2-3 overall record and a 5-2-3 mark in conference action.
• The team enters the postseason with an eight-match unbeaten streak, holding a 6-0-2 record in that time. On the offensive side, 11 different Polar Bears have scored a goal with 15 logging at least one point.

POLAR BEARS TO WATCH

• Tyler Huck has given opposing teams headaches all season, leading the team and the NESCAC with 10 markers and 27 points. The midfielder has recorded four multi-goal efforts, highlighted by a three-goal outburst against Williams.
• Jack Banks ranks second on the squad with three scores, while six players have netted twice for Bowdoin this season. Mateo Pacelli, Max Cook and Alden Mehta share second on the squad with three helpers each.
• Keito Ishibashi is the lone defender to start all 15 matches for the Polar Bears, while Liam Myers has made the starting back line in 14 contests.
• Alex Ainsworth has enjoyed a strong fall in the Bowdoin box, owning a 0.67 goals against average (GAA) while making 26 saves at a 0.765 save percentage. The goalie slots second in the conference in shutouts per game (0.50) and third in total shutouts (six).

SERIES HISTORY

• The Panthers and Polar Bears battle for the 46th time with Middlebury possessing a 20-15-10 edge in the all-time series.
• The sides clashed on South Street Field on October 4, a match that Bowdoin claimed by a 1-0 decision.
• The Panthers and Polar Bears have met eight times in the NESCAC Tournament, most recently in the 2017 semifinals. Middlebury carved out a 1-0 victory in double overtime.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Championship Central
• NESCAC Seeding Announcement

Quarterfinals will occur at the top four seeds on Saturday, November 1. The highest remaining seed will host the semifinals (Saturday, November 8) and championship (Sunday, November 9).