Middlebury College

The #2 Middlebury men's soccer team battled windy conditions in a 0-0 tie with Colby on Saturday from South Street Field. The contest marked the annual Michael P. Russell '98 Memorial Match.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers looked to break the seal in the fifth minute when Dylan Payne hustled to the top of the box and fired a shot toward the right post. Goalie Jackson Magee tracked the chance and tallied the save.
• Jude Gussen created a breakaway opportunity 46 seconds later, collecting the ball at midfield and charging toward the Middlebury defensive end. The midfielder sent a rising shot from just inside the box that netminder Leon Brody punched away.
• Colby nearly found the back of the net with 10:51 expired. Gussen lifted a free kick that bent inches wide of the right post.
• In the 22nd minute, Will Sawin found Harper Nicholl on the right side of the box. Nicholl cut to the center and booted a bid that Magee scooped up.
• Payne logged the final opportunity of the opening half with 8:04 left. The sophomore ripped a shot off a deflection toward the crossbar before a gust of wind took hold of the ball, forcing it high and keeping the contest scoreless.
• Middlebury ramped up the pressure with two chances separated by two minutes. At the 55:26 mark, Orlando Cavaceppi-Dove flicked a header near the right post that Magee smothered. Payne created another Panther look with 33:25 remaining, but Magee climbed the ladder to deny a sizzling bid.
• The navy and white kept possession and manufactured a chance with 69:05 expired. Sawin crashed to the left post, but Magee dove as Sawin struck the ball to stonewall the point-blank opportunity.
• Colby started to creep back into the contest in the 78th minute. Ryan Callahan collected a Middlebury clear attempt and fired from just outside the 18-yard box. Antonio Cosentino read the shot and deflected it away.
• Middlebury had a Grade-A chance with 6:38 left. Ari Klayman whipped a throw that glanced off Charlie Johnson's head and toward the center of the box. Sawin tried to direct the ball into the net, but it sailed just over the crossbar.
• The Panthers crashed the Colby defensive zone in the 87th minute. Sawin tapped a back-pass to a wide-open Hugo Horwitz. The senior fired into traffic, but Magee saw the flash of the ball and brought it into his midsection to seal the scoreless draw.

NOTES

• Payne and Sawin fired a combined eight of 12 shots for the navy and white.
• Brody earned his seventh shutout of the campaign, making two stops.
• Middlebury and Colby dueled for the 45th occasion, with the Panthers holding a 25-11-9 advantage in the all-time series.
• The annual memorial match honors Russell, who helped the Panthers to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 1994-97 and passed away in 2011. Russell had siblings who attended both Middlebury and Colby, thus setting up the annual contest between the schools.

The Panthers close their three-game homestand against Maine Maritime Academy on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.