The #14 Middlebury men's soccer team tallied two goals in nearly four minutes in the second half and held off a late charge to seal a 2-1 victory over SUNY Geneseo in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. With the win, the Panthers move to the second round for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Middlebury nearly cashed in on its first chance with 11:31 elapsed. Gavin Randolph cut left in the box and sent a quick pass to a trailing Colin Dugan. The junior readied and fired a bid that tipped off the top portion of the crossbar.
• In the 20th minute, Owen Burke lifted a shot from 25 yards out that sailed right.
• Michael Ruggiero tried his luck about three minutes later. The Knight sent a bid from the top right corner of the box, but the chance pushed wide of the left post.
• With 13:01 remaining in the first half, Will Sawin charged down the field and saved the ball from passing the endline. The forward sent a quick pass to the top left of the box, where Charlie Johnson got a head on it. Knights goalie Max Crothall tapped the ball away for the save.
• The Panthers created another great opportunity with 9:52 remaining in the first half. Ben Shapiro flicked the ball to Orlando Cavaceppi-Dove on a quick restart. The Panther sent in a curling shot toward the right post that bounced off Crothall's hand and slowly rolled near the goal line. The Geneseo goalie stepped back just in time to stop the bid.
• In the 43rd minute, a header by Shapiro sailed toward the Geneseo end. Sawin won the race to the ball and lifted a chance that sailed over the top-right corner.
• Middlebury had the final opportunity with the first-half clock running down. Keagan Harder collected a loose ball and sniped a rolling shot that Crothall smothered to keep it a scoreless tie. 
• Geneseo tallied the first chance of the second half at the 47:15 mark. A deflected free kick trickled toward the edge of the box. Thody won the race to the ball and fired, but Ari Klayman rose just in time to block the shot with his back.
• The Panthers broke through with 24:59 remaining. A shot by Dylan Payne was deflected out to the top of the box. Harder headed the ball back into a sea of navy and white, where Pablo Gonzalez flicked the ball into the net with his right foot while on the ground to grab a 1-0 lead.
• Middlebury doubled its advantage about four minutes later. A Geneseo clearing attempt was blocked by Johnson, leading to a run-out. Sawin collected the ball at midfield and raced down the left sideline before putting the ball in the back of the net with his right foot to make it 2-0.
• In the 76th minute, Thody set up for a free kick from 25 yards out. The forward aimed for the top-right corner, but the chance sailed over the crossbar.
• Geneseo cut the deficit to one (2-1) with six minutes remaining. Thody stepped up to the dot and placed the ball into the bottom right corner.
• The Knights had the final shot via a free kick at the 89:47 mark. Ruggiero blasted a rising bid that sailed near the top right corner of the net. Waterman tracked the shot the entire way and snagged it out of the air to seal the 2-1 victory.

NOTES

• Sawin extended his points streak to six consecutive contests with his team-leading ninth goal of the season.
• Gonzalez added his second tally in as many games.
• Middlebury held a 19-7 advantage in shots and allowed Geneseo just one corner kick over the 90 minutes.
• The programs met for the first time in the sport of men's soccer.