MIDDLEBURY — The Middlebury College men’s soccer team split a pair of home games this past weekend. The Panthers, 6-3 overall and 2-3 in NESCAC play, lost to league foe Colby on Saturday and defeated non-league visitor Plymouth State on Saturday. Middlebury will visit Tufts on Saturday.
On this past Saturday Colby (4-3-1, 2-2-1 NESCAC) claimed a 2-0 victory over the Panthers.
Colby got on the board 2:37 into the first half when Lucas Pereira converted a loose ball. Middlebury nearly tied the game five minutes later, but Jeremy Barovick’s powerful shot deflected off Mule goalkeeper Avery Gibson’s hands and went just high. the crossbar. At the 22:36 mark, Colby had three shots in 20 seconds, but Panther goalie Jeremy Yeager denied two and one was blocked.
Colby’s Cam Clouse converted a free kick to making it 2-0 in the 10th minute of the second half. Middlebury’s best chance came six minutes later, when Fazl Shaikh fired a shot from the six that went just wide left. left of the goal. The Panthers had another chance late in the game, but Gibson dove to deny Drew Goulart. Yeager finished with six saves, while Gibson had three.
On Sunday the Panthers outshot Plymouth, 23-2, but needed an own goal with 5:18 left in regulation to take a 1-0 win. Shaikh had the best opportunity in the first half, but diving Plymouth goalie Linus Lindeberg (nine saves) denied him.
The decisive goal came when Goulart worked the ball up the left side of the pitch and crossing it along the end line before a Plymouth State defender accidentally knocked it in. Plymouth (2-7) failed to put a shot on net.