From a Middlebury College release
MIDDLEBURY, VT – The 14th-ranked Amherst College men's soccer team suffered its first loss of 2010 this afternoon, falling to NESCAC rival Middlebury College 1-0 on the road. The Lord Jeffs fall to 5-1-3 (1-1-3 NESCAC) with the loss, while the 19th-ranked Panthers move to 8-1-0 (4-1-0) with the win.
Today's result is the first time since a season-opening overtime draw at Bowdoin that the Lord Jeffs have been held scoreless. In five NESCAC games, Amherst has managed just four goals, while the team has poured in 21 goals in four non-conference games. The shutout was the eighth of the season for the Panthers in nine games.
Amherst had the better of the play in the first half, holding a 10-1 shots advantage. The Jeffs had a nice chance in the 36th minute, but Spencer Noon's (Farmington, CT) header was just wide after a cross from Thebe Tsatimpe (Johannesburg, S. Africa).
Middlebury's Tyler Macnee answered shortly after, but his shot was turned away. The Jeffs best chance to score in the contest came with under a minute to play in the first half. Senior captain Ian Rothkopf (Harvard, MA) blasted a shot from 10 yards outside the box, but Middlebury keeper Tim Cahill made a spectacular save to deny him and keep the game scoreless.
Middlebury turned up the pressure in the second half, with Macnee just missing from 25 yards out at the 74:30 mark. The Panthers kept coming seconds later, when a service from Jake Edwards resulted in a scrum that was eventually cleared away by the Jeffs.
The game's only goal came at 78:01, when Martin Drolet scored his third of the season. Carson Cornbrooks took the original shot that was saved, as Drolet was there to finish the rebound for the game-winner.
The Jeffs threatened late, but Cahill stopped Amherst rookie Julien Aoyama (Narberth, PA) from inside the box with five minutes remaining to preserve the shutout.
Amherst held a 13-7 shots advantage in the game, with an 8-1 lead in corner kicks. Cahill made five saves to earn the shutout, while Lennard Kovacs (Wolfersdorf, Germany) earned a pair of stops for Amherst.
Amherst will return to action on Tuesday evening at Bates College for a 4 p.m. game.
