MIDDLEBURY, VT - The 11th-ranked Amherst College men's soccer team faced off against the defending national champion and top-ranked Middlebury College Panthers, in a rematch of the 2007 NESCAC Championship game and a showdown of New England's top two teams. The Panthers scored an early goal and held on for a 1-0 win in the most recent installment of this heated rivalry.In the 8th minute, Baer Fisher played a Middlebury free kick into the penalty box where teammate Harrison Watkins found the end with a powerful header into the Amherst net.

Neither team generated much offense through the remainder of the first-half, as the Panthers took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, Amherst was unable to create any notable scoring chances, as they managed to hold Middlebury from scoring a second goal while looking for an equalizer. A tying score never came for the Jeffs, and a repeat bid at last season's 11-game undefeated streak to start the season came to an early end.

Middlebury held a slim 10-8 edge in shots on the day, while Amherst first-year goalie Lennard Kovacs (Wolfersdorf, Germany) was called on to make a pair of saves in his NESCAC debut. Middlebury's Brian Bush turned away five Amherst shots for the shutout win.

Amherst falls to 1-1-0 overall with the defeat, while Middlebury improves to 2-0-0. The Jeffs will have a full week off before hosting Bates College next Saturday for a 2 p.m. game in Amherst's home-opener.