NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich men's soccer team
saw its eight-game win streak come to an end on Wednesday afternoon
as the Cadets dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to visiting
Middlebury at Howard Field.
Middlebury (7-0-0) got all it could handle from Norwich, as the
game went back-and-forth throughout. The Panthers seemed to get the
better of the play in the first half, while the Cadets appeared to
control more of the action in the second stanza.
Casey Ftorek scored the game-winning goal for Middlebury in the
84th minute when he found the back of the net off a direct kick
from Baer Fisher.
Norwich (9-2-0), which trailed 1-0 at the half, came out
reenergized after the intermission and the Cadets netted the
equalizer in the 50th minute when Kyle Przekaza headed the ball
into the net. Chris Rivet was credited with an assist on the play
after beautifully serving the ball into the penalty box area on a
corner kick.
Middlebury took a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute when Stephen Hart
tallied a goal off a pass from Brandon Jackson.
NU goalkeeper Jake Pagragan made nine saves, including six stops
in the second half, as the senior kept the Cadets in the game all
day long.
Norwich held a 9-5 edge in corner kicks, but Middlebury outshot
NU, 24-10.
Norwich will take to the road this weekend, traveling to
Providence, R.I., for a key GNAC game versus Johnson & Wales.
Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.