MIDDLEBURY — The second-seeded Middlebury College men’s soccer team erupted for three goals in the first 13 minutes of this past Saturday’s NESCAC quarterfinal against visiting No. 7 Hamilton and went on to a 4-2 victory.

The 13-0-3 Panthers’ reward, when coupled with top-seeded Tufts’ loss to No. 8 Bowdoin, is hosting this weekend’s NESCAC final four.

The Panthers will take on Bowdoin (7-4-5) on Saturday at 11 a.m. in one semifinal. Middlebury defeated the Polar Bears, 4-2, this season. The second semi, at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, pits No. 4 Williams vs. No. 6 Connecticut College. Middlebury recently defeated Williams, 2-0, while Camels and the Panthers tied, 0-0, this season.

Saturday’s winners will square off on Sunday for the NESCAC playoff title and the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament. The Panthers, No. 3 in last week’s D-III poll, are virtual locks to get a bid regardless of their results this weekend, but would enhance their NCAA prospects for hosting games with more success in the NESCAC tournament.

Middlebury’s first step to take care of postseason business came against Hamilton (7-6-3, 4-4-2 NESCAC).

Coach Alex Elias said the Panthers were thinking of a team member’s ailing family member before the game, and maybe that helped inspire their fast start.

“One of our Middlebury soccer family members is right now in pretty bad shape, in critical condition over in London in the hospital,” Elias said. “So all of our thoughts are with him, and all of our spirit came from just trying to put as much good energy into that room where he is as possible. I know they were watching the match over there.”

Certainly the early offensive outburst proved decisive.

“That was a dream start for us,” Elias said. “Three quick goals in the first half is something we expected our guys to come out with the ability to do, and that was just a little extra fire for the boys given what’s going on with that family.”

SHANE FARRELL STRIKES the ball with the outside of his right foot from the right side of the penalty box.
Independent photo/Steve James

Anyone watching the game from afar or onsite had to be wowed by Shane Farrell’s goal 3:55 into the game. The sequence started with Farrell taking a corner kick from the right side into a knot of players out front. Then Ari Klayman flicked the ball back toward Farrell cutting into the box from the corner.

Farrell, one step into the box and 10 feet in from the end line, one-timed a volley with the outside of his right foot. It screamed past a defender just off the near post and over leaping Hamilton goalie Finn Wheeler. And it curled just inside the far post and under the crossbar, almost miraculously. Farrell’s teammates, almost as stunned as the Continentals, mobbed him.

THE BALL CURLS around a Hamilton defender and up and over Continental goalie Finn Wheeler and nestles into the goal’s upper left corner.
Independent photo/Steve James

A minute later tireless Panther central midfielder Colin Dugan made it 2-0 with another beautiful strike. Hank Nelson controlled on the left and fed Will Sawin near the left post. Sawin sent the ball back to Dugan just inside the top of the box, and he one-timed a left-footed volley that rocketed inside the left post, and it was 2-0.

Gavin Randolph made it 3-0 with an efficient finish at 32:24. Kyle Nilsson tossed a long throw-in from the right side that Sawin nodded onto the far post. Randolph, cutting in, walked the ball into the lower left side of the goal.

PANTHER GAVIN RANDOLPH celebrates his tap-in goal that made it 3-0 for the Middlebury men’s soccer team less than 13 minutes into the Panthers’ NESCAC quarterfinal victory on Saturday.
Independent photo/Steve James

Hamilton had its first chance on goal 21 minutes in, but Panther goalie Joey Waterman hauled in a long shot from Patrick Ferrare. At the other end, Panther Eduardo Casanova shot wide in the 30th minute, the Panthers couldn’t convert several set piece attempts, and a late Anderson Gardner shot also went wide for Middlebury, and it was 3-0 at halftime.

The Panthers outshot Hamilton, 8-3 in the first half, but the shots evened at 7-7 after the break.

“There were more opportunities in the first half. I think it was very good performance, probably our best first half of the year,” Elias said. “And then they chased the game well. They made some adjustments at the half, and we didn’t adjust quite as well to what they ended up doing.”

Early in the second half, Continental Luke Ehrenfreund whipped in a corner that Waterman punched out of the box. But Waterman (three saves) could not save a Hamilton penalty kick at 49:03 awarded for a handball. Luke Peplowski tucked a shot low right side, and it was 3-1.

Klayman had a bid two minutes later, but Wheeler denied him. The Panthers had another chance 14 minutes in, but Hamilton defender Luke O’Dowd blocked Keagan Harder’s promising shot.

Hamilton pressed, and in the 75th minute Waterman dove to deny a free kick from Pandelis Margaronis ticketed for the bottom right side of the net.

HAMILTON STRIKER PATRICK Ferrare has hopes for this attempt during Middlebury’s NESCAC quarterfinal victory on Saturday, but Panther defenders Luke Madden, on the ball, and William O’Brien and goalie Joey Waterman have the threat in hand.
Independent photo/Steve James

The Continentals’ Peplowski cut the deficit to 3-2 at 81:30. Margaronis, on the left, sent Peplowski in alone on Waterman, and he slotted the ball past the onrushing goalie.

Luke Madden sank the insurance goal four minutes later. Klayman tossed a long throw-in into the box from the left. Gardner flicked onto Madden, who took one touch to his right and knocked the ball home to seal the victory.

Elias said he was happy with the team’s performance, but a few loose ends could be tied up, including more offensive efficiency and better organization on defense when teams change approaches, something he said was at least in part the coaches’ responsibility.

But he also agreed a lot of things have gone right for the 2024 Panthers: their depth, strength on set pieces, strong defense and goaltending (0.5 goals per game), crisp ball movement, and a versatile attack that has produced 2.63 goals per game and seen eight players score at least three goals.

“All those things have been part of our identity,” Elias said. “We’re not changing what we do. We just want to do it better.”

And he expects they will.

“I’m really proud of the guys,” Elias said. “It’s one of the tougher weeks we’ve had as a group, and I think it feels really good for the team, the program and the families that we got the win, we got to score some goals, and we gave them something to enjoy and cheer about and be hopeful about.”