Middlebury defeated Wesleyan 11-8 in an NCAA Quarterfinal matchup at Middlebury on Wednesday. The victory sets
up a rematch with
We started off the game with a couple of average possession against the
Wesleyan zone, with the possessions ending in less than ideal shots or
turnovers. We switched up to a couple of new looks we had put in
specifically for the Wesleyan goal and our scoring picked up for the
quarter. We had 9 shots in the first, generating 3 goals, 2 of them
coming from JP Coviello. Our hope was that JP
would have a strong game, as he is great shooter and finisher, tailor made for
the zone. Although he would not score the rest of the game, his 2 goals
were critical to get us loosened up and confident against the zone, since that
is not how we started the game. A lot of the burden of the zone fell on
Henry Sheehan who spent most of the game in X, running the offense. He responded
with 4 assists and 1 goal, winning the game ball. When we decided to
award him the game ball we were not certain how many points he had, it was more
that his presence against the zone was critical.
Our defense played very well for long stretches, even dominating at times, but
Wesleyan is quick, talented and opportunistic and we could not keep them off
the board. We got overextended a few times vs. their quick attackmen and they were able to ride hard in transition and
create several unsettled goals, all trademarks of their team. Ultimately,
our team defense was able to settle down and limit their quality opportunities.
Just when you felt the wheels coming off in the 3rd Quarter, Alex Palmisano made a huge 1 v. 0 save, igniting himself and the
defense.
You are getting a glimpse into my home life now. I have to end this
abruptly, as Pam is waiting for her laptop so she can leave for work and I have
to wake up Hannah so she can put together a flower arrangement for a
competition at school today. So, sorry to end this.
Too many things going on at work to follow up later.