MIDDLEBURY, VT -- The Ephs (3-1) coming off a strong home victory over Bowdoin, traveled up to play the Middlebury Panthers (3-1) today. In an exciting back-and-forth match-up, the Ephs showcased themselves on multiple occasions. Yet despite kicker
Ivan Shuran converting five of five field goal attempts, including one from 43 yards, and defenders
Calvin Pedatella and
Jack Wallace combining for 24 tackles, the Ephs came up short in an overtime loss 32-29.
The Panthers came out strong, gaining 53 yards on a pass and run. On their third down, the Panthers scored the game's first touchdown off a 16-yard pass, converting the point after for an early 7-0 lead.
A personal foul on the Ephs relegated their next drive from the 10-yard line. Quarterback
Owen McHugh gave Williams some freedom with a run for a first down and then a pass to
Luke Bobo for another first down. The next couple of plays showcased running backs
Jon Oris and
Mario Fischetti cutting through the middle of the field for several gains.
Owen McHugh orchestrated a couple more plays to bring the Ephs to the 4-yard line. On third down, first-year tight end
Jimmy Montesano caught a pass for his second career touchdown. With
Ivan Shuran scoring the point after the score was tied 7-7 after only two possessions.
Middlebury's impressive passing plays continued with a 25-yard gain bringing them to midfield. With defensive credit to the effort and tackles by
Jack Wallace and
Ethan Scott, the Ephs stopped the Middlebury drive. Two passes to senior receiver
Cameron Lee totaled 35 yards and a run by
Jon Oris left Williams near the end zone at the end of the first quarter.
At the beginning of the second quarter, things appeared positive for Williams with a 10-yard gain from
Jack Kennedy but a missed catch in the end zone left the Ephs with no choice but to kick a field goal.
Ivan Shuran converted the 32-yard field goal for a 10-7 Eph lead early in the second quarter. With the Panthers plagued by penalties, Williams continued their strong defense and some quick stops allowing them to start their next offensive drive at the 46.
Owen McHugh's rush and another Middlebury penalty led to the Ephs converting another 32-yard field goal for a 13-7 lead.
Shortly after, the Panthers offensive struggles faded, stringing together 10 offensive plays totaling 75 yards. Middlebury brought themselves near the Ephs end zone where they scored the touchdown and the point after to regain their lead at 14-13.
The next Eph drive showed promise with
Mario Fischetti, who netted 131 yards, earning 24 yards after breaking through the middle of the Middlebury defense. However, the drive soon ended after a few shutdowns by the Panthers' defensive line. The Ephs quickly returned the favor with a midfield stop of their own thanks to the work of
Calvin Pedatella who finished the game with 14 tackles, 7 of which were solo. Williams had another good shot at the Middlebury end zone but an interception preserved the one-point Panther lead at the end of the first half.
Starting the second half, Williams and Middlebury traded possessions multiple times. Williams had a short drive and punted, followed by Middlebury's minimal yardage and a punt. Both teams struggled to maintain possession showcasing their defensive acumen. The first points came halfway into the 3rd quarter with
Ivan Shuran continuing his impressive day by nailing a 43-yard field goal to give the Ephs the lead again at 16-14. The strong defensive effort for the Ephs continued with first-years
Zakkai Moore and
Ben Yedid picking up a couple of tackles. However, the Ephs were forced to punt from their end zone, suffered a sloppy exchange with the ball going above the head of the punter and earning the Panthers two points on a safety to tie the game at 16-16.
The Ephs' luck turned around quickly after with them regaining possession by catching their kickoff at the 14-yard line. After
Luke Bobo caught a pass from McHugh for a 13-yard gain,
Mario Fischetti ran in scoring the touchdown which the Ephs converted on point after. The Ephs wasted no time regaining the lead, 23-16.
Middlebury took little time tying the game again with 3 plays amounting to 75 yards and a touchdown. Middlebury had two huge gains on their drive. The first of these was a 35-yard pass down the left side of the Eph defense and the second was Connor McClellan in a beautiful show of footwork slicing through for the touchdown. After the Middlebury point after, it was 23-23 at the end of the third quarter.
It was a rocky start to the fourth for Williams with the second pass from McHugh intercepted by the Panthers Charlie Ozolin, his second interception. A subsequent penalty on the Ephs allowed Middlebury to begin their drive at the 40-yard line. The determined Ephs continued to play their strong brand of defense which has brought them much success so far with another two first-years,
Will Gale and
Andrew Kreakie, earning some tackles. This forced the Panthers to attempt a field goal from the 36 yard line which failed.
On Williams's following drive, Fischetti started them off strong with a 23-yard run. Following a few more short gains by the Ephs, tight end
Owen Johansen had a dazzling catch while falling out of bounds. The rush game for the Ephs reached a dead-end and
Ivan Shuran returned for the field goal. Continuing his marvelous performance, Shuran had his fourth make giving Williams a 26-23 lead with 3 and a half minutes left to play.
With the Panthers' chances slipping away, on their fourth down QB Brian Moran converted a prayer of a pass with the Eph defense on top of him for a first down. Another couple of gains brought Middlebury to the 37-yard line where they tied the game on a field goal with 13 seconds left. At 26 each, the game went into overtime.
The Ephs started with possession and only made a few short gains. This however gave Shuran more than enough room to convert his fifth kick of the game to earn 3 points in OT. With his successful fifth field goal Shuran broke his own Eph record for most field goals in a game with 5.
Middlebury returned with a good effort but it would be the Williams penalties that made their drive successful. In a game haunted by penalties on both sides, the third down holding call against the Ephs would ultimately lead the way for the Panther RB to score his third touchdown. In an upsetting defeat, the Ephs lost in OT 32-29 to the Panthers.
On the defeat Eph head coach
Mark Raymond said "Great game today. Unfortunately, we came out on the short end of it. We had our chances we just weren't able to finish."
Now 3-2, the Williams College Ephs look to bounce back next Saturday at 1 pm in Williamstown against the Bates College Bobcats.
