After allowing no more than two goals in any one period during a 14-5 victory against Western New England College last Wednesday, the men’s lacrosse team found itself on the wrong end of the defensive domination in a Saturday match- up with Middlebury, dropping their second straight NESCAC game 15-7 to the powerhouse Panthers.
With injuries to offensive standouts Glenn Adams ’06 and tri-captain Chris Meade ’05 plaguing the starting attack, the red and black struggled to find the net early, and the lack of pressure left the door open for Middlebury. Leading 2-1 late in the first period, the Panthers went on a crippling eight-goal run to close out the first half with a 10-1 lead. Dominating possession and converting opportunities with surgical efficiency, the game was won before the second half opened.
“The story of the day was missed opportunities and poor execution,” said tri-captain Paul Malangone ’05. “It’s a game that we should’ve won, but against a team like Middlebury, if you don’t show up to play they will capitalize on every mistake you make. It wasn’t a question of being over matched.”
After an “emotional” half-time speech from Malangone, the Cardinals ended their offensive drought and put up four scores in the third to cut the lead to seven (12-5), but that would be as close as they would get. Mike Vitulano had a three-point day with two goals and an assist to lead the Cards, with Meade contributing a pair of goals despite being hampered by a sore ankle. Freshman Grayson Connors, seeing increased action as a result of injuries up front, put together a six point afternoon against W.N.E.C. and continued to play well on Saturday, netting a single score in the losing effort.
“We always look forward to playing these guys,” said senior attack Chris Knacke ’05. “It’s a good test for us, and helps us to gauge how well we play as a team. Having it behind us now, we get the jitters out that usually exist when you have a game like this on the horizon. Most importantly though, it is a great learning experience and hopefully we will see them again in the playoffs and not make the same mistakes.”
The Cardinals dropped from sixth to 14th in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III poll after their first conference loss to Bates, and after this weekend’s defeat, have fallen to 18th overall. The Tufts Jumbos are currently the highest ranked NESCAC team at number three nationally, with Middlebury ranked seventh, and Amherst and Bates ranked 13 and 14 respectively.
“With five [NESCAC] teams in the top 20 nationally, you cannot afford to take a game off,” Malangone said. “Obviously Middlebury was a tough match-up, but we have to approach every game the same way.”
As the team heads into their sixth week of competitive play, the Cardinals need to get healthy and iron out the early flaws in their game as they prepare to butt heads with solid programs from Connecticut College and Bowdoin.
“With Meade and Adams not performing at 100 percent, the offense is definitely a little out of whack,” Knacke said. “They contribute a lot to the team and our success and we cannot afford to have them injured much longer.”
As important as it is that players get back to full strength, captain Malangone remains focused and unfazed.
“We were in the same situation last year, starting 0-2 in the conference, and went to the NESCAC finals,” he said. “I’m confident in my teammates and know that we will respond this week against two quality opponents. Again, the talent is here, we just have to execute.”
Both games will be played on the road with the Cards heading to Conn. College on Wednesday and Bowdoin for the Saturday game.
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