MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury College men’s lacrosse split two recent games, losing a NESCAC game on the road this past Saturday before winning a non-league home game on Tuesday.
The 3-2 Panthers will visit league foe Bowdoin this Saturday at 1 p.m.
On this past Saturday host Wesleyan held off a Panther rally to prevail, 13-10. The Panthers cut the Cardinal lead to one in the fourth quarter, but Wesleyan answered with the game’s final two strikes.
Wesleyan, ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division III, improved to 4-1, 3-0 in NESCAC play. The Panthers dropped to 2-2, 1-2 in the league, heading into a Tuesday home game vs. Plattsburgh. Saturday’s game was their third in four outings vs. a ranked opponent.
On Saturday both teams scored three times in the first quarter, with A. J. Kucinski, Michael McCormack and Danny Jacobs (with four seconds on the clock), finding the net for Middlebury.
Wesleyan outscored the Panthers, 5-1, in the second quarter, including four straight after a Henry Riehl goal for Middlebury, to make it 8-4 at the half.
Middlebury closed to within 10-9 after three periods. After goals by Panthers McCormack and Wes Quinzani, Cardinals Ronan Jacoby and Christian Barker pushed the Wesleyan advantage back to four. Middlebury then reeled off three goals, two by Riehl and one by Chase Goree in the final minute to make it a one-goal game.
In the final frame, Taylor Ghesquiere made it 11-9 at 11:23, and Middlebury’s Frank Cosolito answered four minutes later with a rocket from 15 yards out. But the Cardinals held off the Panthers until Ghesquiere and Harry Stanton each scored their fourth goals of the game in the final four minutes to make it 13-10.
Riehl led the Panthers with three goals and an assist, while McCormack chipped in with two goals and two helpers. Jake Madnick won 15 of 27 faceoffs for Middlebury, and goalie Charles Midgley made 12 saves.
Jacoby added three goals and two assists for Wesleyan, Carter Hawthorne dished out five assists, and goalie Otto Bohan made 11 saves. Wesleyan held advantages of 40-36 in shots and 30-26 in ground balls.
On Tuesday the Panthers topped visiting Plattsburgh, 12-7. Middlebury outshot the 1-4 Cardinals, 51-32, and won 18 of 22 faceoffs.
Middlebury took a 4-2 first-period lead. The teams traded goals in the second period, and Middlebury led at the break, 7-5. The Panthers scored two of the three third-period goals, and in the fourth McCormack scored his fifth goal, and after a Cardinal marker two more Panthers closed out the scoring.