Box Score SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The Skidmore men's lacrosse team battled with the 11th ranked Middlebury Panthers, Tuesday afternoon at Wachenheim Field, holding the visitors to one goal in the third quarter before a late run provided the cushion Middlebury would need to escape with a 12-5 win.

The Thoroughbreds took an early 1-0 lead after Matt Ohara found Kevin Mulvey on the weak side.  Mulvey launched a shot past Middlebury goalie Nate Gaudio for his 17th goal of the season.

The Panthers responded in a big way, netting three goals including one as time expired in the first quarter to hold a 4-1 advantage heading into the second frame.

Both teams displayed solid defense and goaltending as neither was able to break the 4-1 score until the 6:34 mark of the stanza when Josh Berger cradled a pass from Bryan Connolly and buried it home to bring the Thoroughbreds within two goals at 4-2.

The Panthers dominated the rest of the first half, scoring three goals in less than one minute of play on way to a 4-0 run, stretching their lead to 8-2 as both teams headed to the sidelines for intermission.

Skidmore came out of the break a different team, as they hounded the Panthers on the defensive end, holding them to a single goal, which came with seven seconds left on the clock in the third quarter.

The Thoroughbreds outplayed the visitors on the offensive end as well, outshooting Middlebury 12-9 which resulted in two goals for Skidmore.  Skye MacLeod notched his first goal of the season after Mulvey found him open in the circle.  The Thoroughbreds continued to chip away when Mulvey let loose a shot from the fare right side that found nylon, making it 8-4 in the process.

As the fourth quarter got underway, Skidmore continued its relentless play on the defensive end, holding Middlebury scoreless until the 6:16 mark.  The Panthers would regain their composure as they rattled off three more unanswered goals to extend their lead to 12-4. 

A late goal by Skidmore's Jon Hoeg provided a spark, but the Thoroughbreds were unable to overcome the late deficit as Middlebury claimed the 12-5 win.

Matt Diaco takes the loss for Skidmore, though he played well, accounting for 14 saves and three groundballs.  Gaudio gets the victory as he recorded 16 saves.

Mulvey led the charge with three points on two goals and one assist.  Berger, Hoeg and MacLeod each netted one goal, while Ohara had two assists and Connolly had one.  The Skidmore defense played a strong game with Sam Christiansen causing two turnovers and scooping up four groundballs.  Clark Demos cause one turnover and Chris Damm picked up three groundballs.

Jon Broome led all scorers with four points on three goals and an assist, while Andrew Metros and Stew Kerr each recorded two goals respectively.   

Skidmore returns to action Saturday at 5 p.m. in a pivotal Liberty League matchup with the 3rd ranked RIT Tigers at Wachenheim Field.