Knotted at 8-8 through three quarters, the #17 Middlebury men's lacrosse team blanked Union over the final 15 minutes and added a trio of tallies to earn an 11-8 win on Tuesday afternoon in Florida. The contest was hosted by Saint Leo University.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Panthers manufactured the opening goal 1:16 into the contest. Will Ford created space against his defender and found Logan White, who caught the stick-side feed and stepped into the initial marker.
• The Garnet Chargers responded less than a minute later when Luke Foster found Garrett Salit in transition to knot the battle at 1-1 with 12:48 remaining.
• With 3:29 expired, John McCarthy lost his defender with a sharp dodge to his right and hit Cooper DeMallie for a quick strike into the right panel (2-1).
• Union halted a scoreless streak of over eight minutes with two goals separated by 1:24 of action, grabbing a 3-2 edge through 15 minutes. Salit recorded his second marker and Hayden Caulkins dialed up a stepdown shot that caromed off a defender and over the line.
• Ged Gengras and Nicky Cairo commenced the second session by scoring consecutive strikes to push the Panthers to a 4-3 lead at the 13:25 mark. Gengras tucked a side-winder from the left side inside the right post before Cairo carved a path to the edge of the crease for a one-timer.
• The Garnet Chargers restored the deadlock with 3:11 gone in the second session when Walker Popko sniped the lower-left corner from the right alley. About eight minutes later, Brendan Powers snuck into the offensive end following a clear and found the back of the net to establish a 5-4 Union advantage at the end of the half.
• Middlebury rattled off another quick strike 47 seconds into the third frame to spark a four-goal run. White cashed in an unmarked attempt on the doorstep before Ford faked a shot from the alley and lined up a close-range overhead finish to break the tie at the 9:25 mark. Noah Filippelli won the ensuing faceoff and sprinted forward to tally the seventh goal before Misha Trupo rustled the top-right corner 51 seconds later for an 8-5 ballgame with 8:31 left in the third quarter.
• Salit interrupted the 4-0 run at the 9:36 mark, lifting a look from a sharp angle that snuck over Panther goalie Hayden Kern's left shoulder.
• Luke Allen returned the battle to even ground in the final 2:19 of the third, bouncing in a backdoor bid and ripping a stepdown into the upper-right netting with 11 ticks left to knot the affair at 8-8.
• With 11:00 minutes to go, Trupo sent a pass over the top to Brendan Hickey, who uncorked a jumpshot that skimmed the right panel to nudge the navy and white back in front (9-8). White doubled the lead 45 seconds later, beating his man to the crease and finishing a low shot.
• Jackson Hanson sealed the deal with a player-up marker in the final five minutes to grant Middlebury the 11-8 triumph.

NOTES

• Ford finished with a career-high six points on one goal and five assists. It is the best offensive output of any Panther this season.
• White posted his second consecutive hat trick and has three points in three straight matchups.
• Filippelli rewrote his personal marks in faceoff victories (15) and ground balls (11) in the triumph.
• Middlebury owns a 38-20 lead in the all-time series against the Garnet Chargers.

The Panthers return home to clash with top-ranked Tufts on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.