MIDDLETOWN — The Middlebury College men’s soccer team split two recent games, including dropping a key NESCAC contest at Wesleyan on Saturday, 1-0.
Middlebury, 8-4-1 overall and 5-4-1 in the NESCAC, will play a NESCAC quarterfinal playoff game on Saturday, with the time and location to be determined. The Panthers were set to conclude their regular season by hosting Plymouth State on Wednesday.
On Saturday, Wesleyan’s Ben Bratt knocked home a loose ball with 14:33 to go to give the Cardinals (7-5-1, 6-3 NESCAC) the win.
The Cardinal goal came off a direct kick just inside midfield by junior Omar Bravo. The hard blast went right through the hands of the Panther goalie and was chipped past the line by Bratt when it hit the ground. 
Cardinal keeper Emmett McConnell made four saves, while Middlebury’s Ethan Collins stopped five shots. 
On Oct. 23, Middlebury topped visiting Southern Vermont College (3-12-1), 5-0. The Panthers scored all five goals in the game’s first 18:01.
Dan Skayne opened the scoring 59 seconds into the contest after a feed from Noah Goss-Woliner from the right side.
Goss-Woliner scored the first of his career at 10:14 on a rebound of a shot from Deklan Robinson 
Skayne netted his second of the game at 13:41, converting a cross from Adam Glaser.
Philip Skayne made it 4-0 at 17:50, with the first of his career, with an assist from Goss-Woliner.
Glaser wrapped-up the scoring 11 seconds later, netting his NESCAC-leading eighth of the season after a Mountaineer turnover.
Middlebury finished with a 17-3 shots advantage and a 5-0 lead in corner kicks. Collins earned the win with 27:04 minutes of action, while New Haven resident John Lower made a pair of saves in 62:56 in his collegiate debut. Brendan Shea (four saves) and Chris Dunham (one save) each played a half for SVC.